Crack In The Shield
by Nyx6
Summary: It's early 2014 and The Shield is on the brink of falling apart, leaving Dean's danger magnet girlfriend Lauren to attempt to play peacemaker, all the while dodging the returning Bray Wyatt who has set his sights in her direction again. But he isn't even her biggest problem...a new danger is on the rise. Part 5 of the 'Who Do You Love' series.
1. Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Vince

**They're back!**

 **Okay, first things first, thanks to everyone who is still with this pairing. It was my longest story and my first series so it means a lot to me, which means that so do you guys!**

 **In this installment we are back in the wrestling world (been too long I know) and as much as I hated the** _ **Crack In The Shield**_ **storyline, I still thought it would kinda cool to do…**

 **Hopefully you agree!**

* * *

 **Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Vince**

The idea for the night – as it generally always was whenever the Wyatt boys were involved – was to simply try and fly under the radar, which generally meant staying back and out of sight.

Some nights that meant sticking with Stephanie in gorilla surrounded by people and keen production crew, other nights it meant camping out in the office with Hunter almost physically _glued_ to my side. One night it had meant being locked in The Shield's dressing room, but it always, always meant keeping well back.

Not that Bray had shown much interest since the night Dean had beaten him not fair but square. He'd simply wandered off to cast his eyes on other targets which had then finally worked their way back around. This time he wasn't so interested in me but he _did_ want The Shield boys which meant coming in close.

For my part I was more happy to be hustled from his clutches and I had assumed the pay-per-view would be much the same thing. To be honest I had hoped to be locked in a sky box – somewhere comfy where I could snack and rest my feet – but within half an hour of hitting the building, it became clear there was a new plan.

I didn't like it at all.

"You – ," I stuttered, blinking in horror and trying to comprehend the words I wish I hadn't heard, "You want me to go _out_ there? _With them_? _To ringside_?"

"That's right," Vince replied, with a thin little smile, not even _flinching_ at my tones of sheer panic and expressing the emotional range of a subterranean lizard man.

I had read a theory once before that the earth's hollow core was actually inhabited by a race of upright, sentient reptiles who would one day rise up and enslave us all. To be honest I'd never really paid much notice, but with Vince sitting so coolly it was suddenly a hard notion to ignore. Wherever the man went, confusion seemed to follow and although in the few short months we'd been relatives we had managed to build up a cordial rapport, it was moments like this that I starkly remembered that we were still essentially strangers after all. No one could ever predict his next notion or whether it would be brilliant or totally mad.

This one – I thought – fell into that last box.

It was crazy.

 _Insane_.

No way could I go out there.

Fortunately however I wasn't alone on that one because evidently my father was of the same mind.

"Uh, Vince?" he started as I _gold-fished_ at the pair of them, "What do you mean by _ringside_ , here? Do you want her to act as valet for The Shield? Because the last time she was out there at the same time as the Wyatts, they basically tried to drag her off. If Steph hadn't got out there and nailed Bray with the sledgehammer, things might have been different. Lauren might not be here."

I shuddered a little at the bluntness of his statement, as I generally did looking back on that night. Both sets of eyes flickered over to me briefly but then slid back as if nothing was wrong,

"I want her on commentary," Vince supplied succinctly and Hunter frowned at him,

"On commentary? Why?"

"Because we've been seeing a downturn in viewers from the female demographic. We're losing ground. Yes – granted – they watch Total Divas, but we want to turn them back onto the main network shows. We need someone that will represent those people. The ordinary women whose partners already watch. We need someone who will be a voice for them – who will say what they're thinking – ,"

"You think _Lauren_ is right for that?"

As hurt as I was by my father's incredulity, I was also hurt by not having a say. Did I even really need to be there if they were simply going to talk over my head? I had only popped in to the office to say _hello_ to the pair of them and yet suddenly there I was in a game of management chess.

Commentary?

 _Me_?

The whole idea was horrible and I could only _imagine_ what Dean was going to say.

"Potentially, yes," Vince continued flatly, "Her approval ratings are universally good and the response when she's at ringside is positive for the most part. The fans just _like_ her, they see her as natural and that is something I can put to use. It could be good for business. Don't you want that?"

The last part of the sentence was directed back my way and left very little room for an answer besides _yes_. Dutifully I nodded my head a little, although my spoken reply was halting,

"Um, sure – I _guess_."

"See? She's on board."

"Well I'm sorry Vince," Hunter replied darkly and I could have kissed him for it, "But _I'm_ not and considering that I'm both her father and her employer, I think I get to have the final word. She isn't doing it. Not tonight. Not with the Wyatts out there as well."

In response I let out the breath I had been holding and sank back into the folds of the chair. Finally someone was cutting through the bullshit.

 _Thank you universe._

 _Thank you dad._

"Oh come on son," Vince bit back sharply, with the nickname sounding more mocking than warm, "Where is safer than the commentary table? Surrounded by security and ex-wrestlers – ,"

 _And Michael Cole_.

"Vince – ,"

"Look, I know you want to protect her, alright? I understand that. I mean, she's my family too."

"Hardly," I muttered without pausing to censor and as the cold eyes swung my way, I bit my lip and shrank down.

 _Crap._

"Besides," Vince continued, impressively fluidly, "If this whole idea is so god damn dangerous, then why did Stephanie suggest it at all?"

 _That_ made my ears prick up.

In a big way.

"Stephanie?" I spluttered, beating Hunter to it, "Wait a minute, this was _her_ idea?"

Vincent McMahon folded arms across his pinstripe and nodded somewhat smugly,

"Certainly was – _ah_ , here she is."

As if they were working on some sort of telepathy or a familial bond from the _hollow earth_ world, my stepmother swung open the door without knocking and strode in purposefully with John Bradshaw Layfield in tow.

 _Oh god._

I stifled a groan and shot her a glower as I realized that the pair of them had everything worked out. Vince would lay the groundwork like the corporate bad guy and then Stephanie would swoop in and make it all seem okay. Granted though, I hadn't expected company, so JBL was kind of a surprise. Evidently they were going all out to convince me and that in itself would make it hard to say no.

Generally speaking, answers in the negative were not ones the McMahon family usually heard.

"I take it you told them then?" Stephanie surmised quickly as she drank in the swirling apprehension in the room,

"Yes he did," Hunter sighed back at her, "Gotta say Steph, I don't like it one bit."

Clearly having expected as much, she held her hands up, not giving an inch.

"I know, I know, but just hear me out. Trust me Hunter, I have a plan. Now, having the Wyatts out there isn't ideal – ,"

I blinked at her.

 _Ideal_?

It was the _worst_ and to make sure they realized that I was still there with them, I snorted in disgruntlement as she briefly paused for breath,

"You can say that again."

She didn't, as it turned out.

"But since last year they've been as good as their word and they've stopped following Lauren. They've left her alone. I really think their obsession is over, so there's no reason she won't be safe to be at ringside anymore."

"Steph," Hunter put in with tones of astonishment, "They kidnapped her, they hit _me_ with a car. Normal rules don't apply to the Wyatts which is why I don't want them near her again. In fact, I don't want them near _any_ of us. If I had my way, they wouldn't be working here at all."

"But it isn't your way Hunter," Vince responded icily, "It's _my_ way. It's still my company you know."

The pointed reminder made the room fall oddly silent and I couldn't deny it was as awkward as hell. I was essentially sitting in the middle of a family argument and although it was my family – well, I mean, _sort of_ – I still didn't feel like I had enough weight with them to interject and shut it all down. John Bradshaw Layfield however, didn't have the same concerns and as the frostiness in the room dropped a notch cooler, he cleared his throat and stepped forward with a frown,

"Sir," he began at both Vince _and_ Hunter which was impressive since they were standing on opposite sides of the room, "I hope you both know that I'm a company man and I just want to say that if Lauren joins us on commentary, then I will personally give you my word to keep her safe. Hell, if it comes down to it, I'll put my life on the line."

I blinked.

 _Um, too much feller_.

Hunter agreed,

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. Which it won't because – like I said – she's not doing it."

Sensing that his position was becoming entrenched rapidly, Stephanie moved almost sylphlike across the room, stopping to wrap her hands around his bicep and trace tiny soothing patterns into his arm. In a strange sort of way it was like watching me with Dean and I wondered if all wrestlers like the _pinky-finger-skin-drawing_ thing.

"Sweetie, this could be a really interesting avenue, for us _and_ Lauren, don't you think? We were the ones that put her out there Hunter and now the fans have bitten, we need to follow through. Naturally we don't want her getting in the ring, but some commentary now and then – very, _very_ rarely – could be a nice way to keep her hand in. _Plus_ I know the fans would love to hear her and she's bound to enjoy it. Lauren? Don't you think?"

Realizing that the final part of the sentence had been directed my way, I stuttered,

"I – I don't – ,"

"Besides," Steph continued as if I hadn't even spoken, which I sort of hadn't, "She won't be alone. As well as JBL and The King there's security and I think you're forgetting she's going to have The Shield. Those guys aren't going to let anything bad happen to her. Especially not Dean. Do you trust them Lauren? Do you trust to keep you safe?"

 _Damn._

It was literally the one question I could never say _no_ to and she knew it as well, the crafty little minx. Slowly and reluctantly, I nodded my head back at her and from the way her eyes brightened, it was like I'd signed in blood. Vince too seized on the gesture as approval and in a second they were double-teaming like an odd familial tag.

"There you go Hunter, Lauren's happy."

"Um, I don't think _happy_ is exactly the word I'd use – ,"

"Not a problem," Vince shrugged back at me, "The important thing is you're doing it at all. You're taking one for the company tonight and I appreciate that. Believe me I do."

Frowning a little as the situation slipped away from him Hunter stepped forward and held a hand up,

"Now hold on a minute – ,"

Stephanie intercepted him, leaning in closer and tightening her hold.

"Hunter, sweetie, it's just for one night and we'll have a camera on her the whole time. If I see anything – anything – dangerous, then I'll have her taken out of there. I give you my word."

Hunter's eyes slid back to me slowly, drinking in my combination of bafflement and alarm. Honestly, I wasn't really sure how to feel. Except perhaps blindsided by McMahon wiles and charm. But in essence I had somehow agreed to join commentary during a match between my boyfriend and the man who had – not four months earlier – abducted me and mowed my father down. It wasn't an ideal scenario for anyone but apparently it was done.

I couldn't go back now.

"Lauren? You okay?" he asked me gently and knowing that it would only make things _more_ difficult if I responded with a snort or perhaps even a sob, I simply offered him a patented false smile and stood with a sigh,

"Who me? Um, yep. Fine. Guess I'd better go and tell the others though. You know, so it doesn't come as such a surprise."

What I meant by that was obvious to everyone.

 _I'll need to go and calm my nuclear boyfriend down._

Stephanie smiled back at me and then swept me in one-handed, pulling me close for a grateful sideways hug.

"You are going to be amazing at this sweetie."

I smiled back thinly,

"Well, I guess we can only hope."

Inching towards the door, I turned on the threshold and gave them what I intended to be a chirpy little shrug. Instead I think it came out more lopsided and from the frown on Hunter's face, I clearly looked unhinged.

"Lauren – ,"

"It's fine, I'll see you all later. JBL, save me a chair out there."

Then without another word, I slid from the office and back out into the maze of white corridors. Well, I _say_ I slid from the office, I actually got my pullover stuck on the door. It took perhaps eight awkward seconds to extract it, during which time the rest of them simply stood and stared. Fortunately however none of them followed me and I was free to turn and stalk off along the hall. My lungs began heaving the second I was free of them. My mind racing fiercely as I headed for the locker rooms. I didn't really even know what I was most afraid of. Commenting on the matches or being out there with Bray? Neither of those thing appealed to me remotely and thinking about them jointly made my chest seize up.

By the time I pushed against the door of The Shield's dressing space, I was practically _wheezing_ I was so full of alarm and on hearing my arrival, three faces looked across at me, one stepping forward with palpable concern,

"Lauren? Hey, what's going on? Why're you outta breath? You run here or somethin'?"

"Dean – ," I puffed, reaching out to grab hold of him and letting him push me down onto a bench, "Vince wants – commentary – Hunter's not happy – didn't know what to do."

He stared back at me for close to ten seconds and then nodded slowly,

"Uh huh. How about in English now?"

"Vince wants me on commentary,"

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

"He wants me out there during your match."

 _Your match with the Wyatts._

Suddenly he understood.

"He wants _what_? No Lauren, _not_ okay. No chance in hell am I lettin' that go down. What's wrong with him? Does he even remember what happened last time? We only just got you away from those bastards. No fuckin' way am I lettin' them near you again."

As Dean spoke – okay, _ground out_ – the sentence he was stalking restlessly round and round the room, tracking a groove between the lockers and the doorway and frantically combing his hands through his hair. He'd already wet it in preparation for show time and so the action sent out a fine sheen of drops. It made him look ridiculously sexy although the look was offset by him being so cross.

Still hot though.

 _Lauren focus_.

It was definitely not the time for getting aroused.

From over the by the door – in frustration or for the release of it – Dean kicked his bag and gruffly yelled _fuck_. It was swiftly followed by a further string of cuss words and a bit more angry kicking until finally Seth stood up,

"Hey," he snapped, "Look man, calm down. We'll figure this out, okay?"

"Figure it out _how_?"

"I don't know, we'll talk to Hunter or Stephanie, make them get Vince to change his mind."

I took a breath,

" _Um_ , yeah, that's no good. Hunter was there when Vince told me about it and – uh – turns out, it was sort of _kinda_ Stephanie's idea."

"Of course it was," Dean shot back bitterly, "I shoulda guessed it would fuckin' be her."

His swirling animosity towards my stepmother made me frown slightly, but I understood why. When I had turned up six months earlier and made the bold claim that Hunter was my dad, Stephanie in particular had taken it quite badly. Which is the nice way of saying she tried to have me killed.

Well, _sort of_.

Since then, luckily, the two of us had grown closer to the point where I classed our relationship as _good_. I actually liked her and I knew she liked me as well. We were more than vague relatives, we were actually friends.

Dean however had never forgiven her and due to a combination of factors – including the fact that she was married to his boss – had continued to treat her with an element of apathy, which included holding her at a very obvious arm's length. Not that it didn't work both ways. Dean Ambrose wasn't Stephanie's favorite guy either.

Nor was he Hunter's.

Welcome to my world.

"What did she say baby girl?" asked Roman, his big deep baritone soothing us all. As they all turned to look at me I shrugged, newly awkward and tried to think back to some of what I'd heard.

You know, over the internalized screaming of _oh god_.

"Something about me connecting with the viewers and needing to get more women to watch. Vince thinks the fans – well, he said they _like_ me. They were talking about the business, that sort of stuff."

"But you didn't agree to it," Seth pressed, "Right?"

I froze a little,

"Um, _about_ that – ,"

Dean let out a long suffering groan,

"I knew it. You agreed to do this shit didn't you? Jesus _Christ_ Lauren. What the fuck?"

"Well, I mean, I didn't really _agree_ to it. Mainly because no one actually _asked_. They all just started talking like I was doing it and then they said you guys would be out there to keep an eye on me and then JBL said _he_ would – ,"

"Hold it," Seth barked, raising a hand up, "What the hell does _he_ got to do with all of this?"

"Stephanie brought him in to back her up. You know what? It was actually kind of weird. He started going on about being a _company guy_ and protecting me and putting his life on the line."

Which now I had the chance to think about it properly was a decidedly _un_ -reassuring thing to say. In front of me the guys exchanged a look of doubtfulness and Dean snorted bitterly,

"Yeah, wanna bet? If somethin' goes down, he won't do _shit_ for you. Have you seen him whenever anyone steps towards the desk? Guy shoots up like he's sitting on thumbtacks. Only thing he cares about is that stupid fuckin' hat."

As Seth stifled a sudden short bark of laughter and Dean's expression turned murderous in response, Roman cleared his throat in warning and brought the conversation swiftly back around,

"What about your old man? Did he seriously agree to this?"

"Yes and no," I shrugged, "I mean, honestly? I don't really know what even happened in there. One minute I was just saying a quick _hi_ to both of them and the next thing I know I'm _apparently_ doing this. Then Stephanie's there asking me if I trust Dean to protect me – well, not just him but _all_ of you guys – and since I was hardly going to say _no_ to that, I think they kind of took it as an overall _yes_. Please don't be angry with me Dean. I couldn't help it. How is anyone supposed to say no to _Vince_?"

The last part of the sentence was directed at my boyfriend, who finally swung his head round to look me in the eyes. On seeing the desperate expression on my features, his shoulders dropped and he let loose a sigh.

"I'm not – _ugh_ – I'm not angry at you Princess. I'm just fuckin' _pissed_ that they want to put you in harm's way. I mean, how the hell am I supposed to wrestle when I'm gonna spend the whole time worryin' about you?"

Standing up I crossed the space towards him and took his taped-up hands in my own.

"So then _don't_ worry," I instructed, more brightly than I felt about it, "Focus on the match. Hey, I'm going to be okay."

Reaching up, I caught his face gently and made him look at me while flashing him a smile. It didn't really work – in fact he rolled his eyes at me – but his hands came round to cradle my hips and he pulled me in closer before dropping down a kiss.

"If anythin' happens to you – ,"

"It won't."

"Besides man," Seth chipped in, "We'll be out there too. We've got your back, alright? _Both_ of you guys. If Wyatt wants to put his hands on either one of you, then he'll have to go through us."

Roman nodded,

"Damn straight."

Sucking in a deep breath and winding an arm around me – in the process pinning me tight to his chest – Dean clawed back a semblance of sanity and nodded reluctantly,

"Guess I don't have a fuckin' choice."

As a confidence booster – or simply through habit – Seth stuck out a resolutely gloved fist, waiting for his teammates to respond to the action, which one by one they slowly did. The movement made the belief rise tenfold and I blinked at the almost _mystical_ effect.

When the three of them were together and united, they made for a ridiculously formidable team and as the door to their private locker room creaked open, the eyes they turned towards it almost made _me_ shake. Fortunately however – or maybe _unfortunately_ – the man who glared back at us didn't even blink. What he did do however was look down at me coldly before smirking a little,

"Thought I'd find you here."

It wasn't a particularly friendly expression – mainly because he wasn't a friendly guy – and seeing the narrowed little eyes sweeping across me, Dean bristled instantly,

"What the fuck do _you_ want?"

It was a pretty redundant question.

What the hell did he _ever_ really want?

Somewhere in the shuffle of me joining the company and feuding with the Wyatts almost six months ago, my father had recruited a Director of Operations, who it turned out was a former wrestler called Kane.

Now naturally – being a total wrestling newbie – I hadn't had the first idea who he was and so our very first meeting had gone pretty badly when I had greeted him cheerily but completely blank-faced. Evidently, that hadn't sat well with him and he'd made it his business to frighten the crap out me ever since.

Nothing major – he wasn't sending cockroaches – but he just kind of stared, or would suddenly jump out. I could be carrying water back to one of the dressing rooms and he would randomly appear from out of thin air, smirking across the distance at me smugly and then being all sweetness when my father was near.

Kane was an arrogant, unpleasant bully.

To put it mildly, the pair of us weren't close.

Nor for that matter, were he and The Shield, which was sometimes pretty awkward given that he was technically their boss. It was a dislike completely displayed in Dean's question and in response Kane growled but then fought it back down. He looked a little like a werewolf in a business suit, feeling the full moon and trying not to change and that was an image that was so overwhelming, that I was still busy thinking it when his rough tones rang out,

"Vince wants you out there now."

I blinked cluelessly and then seized up when I realized he was looking at me.

 _Huh?_

Did they seriously expect me to go out there _solo_? The last time that had happened, I'd be set on by The Rhodes' and as a result of that little disaster I'd been coming out through the audience with The Shield ever since. Sometimes I even came out with Steph or Hunter or the entire damn Authority once or twice.

At the very least I was always accompanied by _someone_.

Why did it have to be different tonight?

"She's comin' out with us," Dean glared back darkly, almost as if he was reading my mind, "I don't give a fuck what anybody else wants. It's not up for discussion. Hell, I'll tell Vince myself. He in the office? Maybe I'll drop in on him. See the two of us can't _hash_ this thing out."

He stepped towards the corridor – deliberately leadingly – and in response Kane quickly held out a meaty paw. Dean's eyes glinted gleefully in response to it and he smirked an eerie smile.

 _No?_

Kane glared back.

 _No._

"Just get her to the god damn commentary table."

Dean grinned back thinly,

"Sure thing _boss_."

Then with a final glower of resentment – mercifully, _reluctantly_ – Kane backed off.

The second the door had slammed shut behind him, I let out a tense and pent-up little breath. The air in the room had soured again rapidly and the earlier confidence had essentially worn off.

Seeing my drooping shoulders, Dean pulled me close again, rubbing my arms briskly,

"Princess, you'll be fine."

It was a total role-reversal from just a few moments earlier and in response to it I nodded and tried to look poised.

"Uh huh, I know – totally fine. Feeling good. No worries at all."

Dean raised a brow at me but thankfully said nothing and as the sombre mood continued, Seth suddenly clapped his hands. He often stood in as their stable's in-house pep squad and at the sense of deflation, he took the reins again, pacing around the room and physically _shoving_ Roman, who reeled back a few steps but didn't punch him flat.

Which kind of surprised me.

Would I ever work men out?

"We ready, huh?" Seth demanded roughly, getting so pumped up I thought he might burst, "Are we ready to go out there and kick some Wyatt ass, huh? We ready to show them that no one messes with us?"

Dean and Roman nodded back resolutely and it was usually at that point that I would buzz too. This time however, the sentence made me shiver and my blood ran cold as I realized it was time.

In just a few minutes I would be doing _live commentary_.

What in the world could possibly go wrong?

* * *

 **Well, what do you think might possibly go wrong? Maybe nothing and everyone has a great night and goes home singing happy songs? No? Why not?**

 **Let me know what you're thinking and I'll see you lovely people in three days time!**


	2. Where You Lead

**Chapter two already? Yes, yes it is! This one takes place during the Elimination Chamber match from 2014 (amazing match by the way) where Dean disappears through the crowd and goes AWOL. Hopefully these next few chapters will fill in the gaps of that.**

 **Sodapop25, Fancy meeting you here! Sorry for bombarding everyone with stories but I've got a lot waiting to go out right now and timelines to keep to! Hope you'll stay with this one!**

 **Skovko, Michael Cole and JBL are possibly the best thing about this chapter. I miss their constant bickering to the point they ignore what's going on in the ring. Also, yes, they are frightened little flowers as this chapter hopefully shows...did I mention that I missed them?!**

 **Mandy, I thought you might enjoy having Seth back in one of my stories this week! I love how protective they are of her too. Her big brothers (and boyfriend of course) Steph is...well...she's just Steph! Like father like daughter when it comes to McMahons I guess!**

 **Minnie1015, Yay! So glad you're happy, thought maybe the love for these two had died off, glad to know they've still got their champions! Hated this storyline in real life, but felt Lauren had to experience it for herself nevertheless! Still more to come from this couple!**

 **Debwood-1999, Bray is back and** _ **stop it**_ **, he's still the bad guy remember? He doesn't have a very big part in this story (more of a cameo) but since he was fighting the guys at this point, I could hardly leave him out! We do get a new wrestler villain in this story though...any guesses?**

 **The following contest is scheduled for one fall...**

* * *

 **Where You Lead**

In the months since my first entrance with The Shield, I had begun to get used to coming in through the crowd. I mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't my _favorite_ thing to do – what with the leering and the cat-calling and attempted groping and stuff – but the guys were always good at totally surrounding me and Dean made a point of keeping hold of my hand. As scary as it was I always felt protected –

Which I needed tonight more than ever before.

Five months earlier Bray Wyatt had kidnapped me and kept me handcuffed to a crappy motel bed. Granted it had only been for twenty-four hours, but each one of those had been the longest of my life and although he had been warned since then to keep his hands off me, just the _prospect_ of his proximity was almost more than I could bear. There was something unnatural and almost _animalistic_ about him, like he worked on base instinct instead of societal norms. Nor did it help that he had his own followers, who took the form of two gigantic lackeys – called Harper and Rowan – who hung off his every word. Together the three of them proudly stalked the corridors liked the big defrosted Neanderthals they were. In short, they didn't inspire a very reassuring presence and at just the mere _thought_ of them my knees began to knock. Feeling the shudder, Dean bent in towards me and squeezed my hand a little,

"Hey, you alright?"

"Uh huh," I whispered mildly as in front of us Seth shouldered a path through the crowd. A couple of children reached out to stroke him, but knowing better, the adults stayed well back. Touching a Shield guy was like stroking a tiger. You were liable to get your head ripped clean off.

"Bullshit, you're terrified," Dean growled darkly, "I fuckin' knew this was a crazy idea."

"I'll be okay."

"Yeah? Well you'd better be. Otherwise I'm having your stepmother's head on a plate."

As Seth performed a swan dive over the barricade and landed perfectly with a somersault on the floor, Dean hopped after him and then swung round to get me, taking my weight as Roman lifted me up. Over at the announce desk, my commentary colleagues were staring across at me and chattering fit to burst. I couldn't make out what they were saying above the crowd noise – not to mention The Shield's heavy bass – but I could only imagine the topic of conversation and as their eyes flickered over, I realized it was me.

 _Oh great._

What the hell was I even meant to say to them? What was I meant to say to the people watching at home? It was all very well wanting me to be a mouthpiece, but that didn't mean it would actually work. I was still just a novice at wrestling. Most of the time I still flinched and whispered _ouch_. How I was supposed to add something meaningful was totally beyond me. What did Vince want? My head was spinning and my body was trembling and so as fingers brushed across me I visibly jumped,

"Huh – ?"

"Easy Princess," Dean growled back smoothly and I spun around quickly towards his raised brows, "He's not gettin' near you, okay? I won't let him. Tonight I'm gonna bury Bray Wyatt for good."

With another gentle tap, he steered me towards commentary and then hovered unhappily as JBL pulled back my seat. I fumbled briefly and got tangled in the headset but then took a breath and slotted it in place. Instantly the crowd noise was all but drowned out again and it felt oddly peaceful.

Until Michael Cole chipped in,

"Lauren, nice to have you with us this evening."

"Oh – um – _hi_ ," I waggled my fingers, "Thank you for having me out here I guess."

From directly alongside me, Dean shot them a death glare and then carefully rubbed his fingers across my nape. At once it was both reassuring and bolstering and it also said everything he wanted to but couldn't say.

 _Make me proud._

 _I fuckin' love you Princess._

I lifted my hand to touch his fingers lightly and then – reluctantly – Dean moved off, clambering into the ring to join his teammates and then pacing round aggressively while Seth and Roman climbed the posts. His US title was glinting in the spotlights and my heart hitched with pride as I drank in how _good_ he looked. In fact all three of them looked strong and imposing and I found myself grinning.

Those were my boys.

"Lauren?"

"I – what?"

Michael Cole was staring across at me and I blushed a little and cleared my throat. It was probably for the best if I paid some attention rather than lusting over my man and to show them that I was ready to do that, I sat up straight and nodded my head. Michael smiled a little in response and then tried again,

"I asked how you felt? The last time you were face-to-face with Bray, he was trying to drag you off to become part of the Wyatt cult. Tonight must be a daunting prospect for you."

I shivered a little,

"Um, _yep_ , you might say that."

To my left hand side JBL thumped the table, clearly not taking his earlier promise lightly. When he'd pledged to protect me he had meant against all comers and suddenly his poor colleague was squarely in his sights,

"What kind of a question is that now Michael? How do you think the poor girl feels? She's come out here tonight to talk about the match up. So why don't you stop askin' damn crazy questions and focus on doin' the same thing, huh?"

"It's a relevant question John – ,"

JBL snorted,

" _Please_. You never asked a relevant thing in your whole life."

It was a little like being in the middle of a domestic with a bickering couple who'd been married for years. I could almost imagine them squabbling about the washing or one of them leaving the toilet seat up. At the far end of the desk, Jerry Lawler was grinning and he caught my eye and gave me a wink. Clearly he was getting the same _angry fuck_ vibes and we shared a knowing look.

Then everything went black.

Without fully meaning to, I tipped myself sideways, until I was pressed up in terror right against JBL. He grunted very mildly but didn't say anything and I was grateful for his solidity, although I mostly wanted Dean. The eerie expectation of big hands grabbing me forced my heart clean into my throat and I sat in terror not knowing what would happen before sighing with relief as they appeared on the ramp. Well, I _say_ relief, it was actually horrific but at least it meant they weren't hidden in the dark and on seeing them far away from me and – crucially – _together_ , I blew out a breath and unclenched my shaking fists.

On stage beneath the titantron, Bray was lighting up their lantern and in the pause, Dean stole a quick glance my way. In response I gave him a wobbly thumbs up and although his grim expression didn't flicker, he turned round again, newly ready to take them on. Bray's voice shivered over the speakers and my whole body tensed at his words,

"We're here."

Then he blew out the tiny little flicker and plunged the place into darkness again. Did he really have to be so god damn creepy? Seriously, what the hell was wrong with him? The man needed some sort of mental assessment or an hour with a biologist or cosmologist of some sort. Surely with a computer and maybe Stephen Hawking, it would be possible to work out which planet he was from? Not that his lilting entrance music helped matters. In actual fact it made my shudders _worse_ and by the time it had stopped and the lights had come up again, I was full-blown shaking.

 _Lauren, get control._

For the first few minutes, nothing much happened, or, at least, not physically inside the ring. Out on the floor however, Bray went on a rampage, sitting in his rocking chair, stalking towards the ropes, shoving his comrades and bellowing random words. It was a pretty chaotic and frightening performance, but then, I guessed that was the point. It certainly worked on me – no wonder – but The Shield stood firm, unmoved by it all. God they looked amazing, especially Dean and I realized in an instant that whatever happened out there, I was stupidly proud of both him _and_ them.

Around us the crowd was beginning to chant, in a peppering of voices before turning to a roar. In response to it, Dean started to pace around eagerly, tapping his chin and unable to stand still. The volume rose to a furious peak as the Wyatts hauled themselves up onto the apron and the sound of the chanting was so in time that it almost sounded like one loud voice.

 _This is awesome, this is awesome._

Which unless you were terrified and a virgin at commentary, I had to agree it probably was.

"Are you the errand boy?" Bray shouted suddenly and he was so loud I could hear every word from where I was. He pointed at Dean, who was still pacing wildly and my heart rose up clean into my throat. A surge of protectiveness fired up within me and so I was glad when Seth stepped in,

"Come on now, hey – ,"

Sadly however, it didn't do much good.

"Look at how they treat you," Bray bellowed brutally, wide-eyed with purpose and sinister intent. As Dean surged forward, Roman put an arm out, blocking him firmly as Bray repeated himself, "Look at how they _treat_ you."

I swallowed.

 _Oh god._

Around me the commentary team had gone completely silent which I didn't take as a positive sign. Eventually however JBL offered something although his voice sounded scratchy and vaguely _hoarse_.

"Uh, he's singlin' out Ambrose."

Thanks for _that_ newsflash. What next John? Want to mention the sky's blue?

"Child," Bray screamed, _pointing_ at Dean now, "Child. Make your move boy, make your _move_ boy."

In response Dean put on a turn of pace towards him, but collided with Roman who'd quickly moved across. Both he and Seth were struggling to hold him and the whole thing was like a powder keg, ready to go off.

"Does Bray think that's the weak link?" JBL frowned and my blood ran cold at the suggestion.

 _Huh?_

"Well," Jerry Lawler responded with a shrug, "He did say The Shield were bickering like children – ,"

I couldn't help myself,

"No they're not."

All three of them turned to look at me and Michael Cole smirked at my passionate response.

"They're not?"

" _No_. I mean, okay they _do_ bicker, but they're a family – they're brothers – that's what brothers do."

For a second I thought he would push me a little further but we were swiftly interrupted by another growing cheer, this one just as loud as the first one but slightly confused and elated as well.

 _Let's go Wyatts, let's go Shield._

"Oh, I love it," Lawler choked out – probably because he was safely behind the table and the love of his life wasn't being goaded in the ring.

"I'm not sure anybody here knows who to cheer for," JBL grinned, "They're just cheerin' for a _fight_."

"Somebody's gotta jump here," Lawler added and I closed my eyes.

 _Not Dean, not Dean._

When I opened them again, the tension had broken, I mean, not _much_ but a little tiny bit. Each of the factions was heading over to their corner, including Dean who had his hands up. He was trying to assure his teammates he was solid and he was actually doing a pretty good job. I fully believe he would have gone with them willingly had Bray not called out as he'd headed to the ropes. His tone was mocking and decidedly suggestive and in that exact moment, Dean's patience broke,

"I'll say hello to your little girlfriend _boy_."

In the blink of an eye, Dean had crossed the ring at them and physically _launched_ himself into all three. They sort of went down like sweat-stained skittles although as the tables quickly turned, Seth and Roman joined in too.

" _Ambrose_ – ," Michael yelled out breathlessly, like he'd run a marathon before he'd made it to the show, "Ambrose went right after Bray Wyatt after Wyatt called out his girlfriend and _here we go_ – ,"

To be honest I think he said a little more than that but I couldn't pay attention. My heart was in my throat. All I could see were Dean's taped fists pummelling the Wyatts – I wasn't sure which one – although as Bray rolled out of the ring right in front of us, I suddenly realized it had likely been him. I also realized _another_ new problem.

Bray Wyatt was in front of us and coming our way.

Instinctively – and uselessly – I shrank back against my chair, shifting my body towards JBL again. A wave of nausea washed right across me and I swallowed it down as Bray thankfully stomped by. He was half-crazed with fury and barely even thinking as he bumped against the barricade and let out a yell. It wasn't words but then it didn't need to be. It was deeply unsettling just the same. Back in the ring, The Shield had got the job done and started the match by completely clearing house. As they paced around triumphant however, the Wyatts regrouped – right in front of us.

 _Crap._

"I think one of the things we've seen in the past few weeks guys," Michael Cole offered, trying to regain control, "Is that Ambrose and Bray Wyatt really have been in a verbal war of words – ,"

"Why do you think that is Michael?" JBL replied, full of disdain, "The man _kidnapped_ this poor girl."

Again I shuddered, my eyes still on Bray as he pulled his boys tight in to his side. They were whispering to one another – like girls in a playground, only big towering _hairy_ ones with questionable hygiene skills. Jerry Lawler shifted uncertainly beside us, his voice barely moving much above a worried hiss,

"This is a little too close for comfort right here – ,"

I agreed completely. In fact I felt like passing out. Even from across the table I could smell Bray's odour and it took me back to the night when he'd almost snapped my arm. My chest began to heave in shaky inhalations and my palms were so clammy they were practically wet. The sensations only grew as Bray's head swivelled round at me and his cold eyes narrowed and then tried to bore a hole.

"Bray Wyatt is currently staring down Lauren – ,"

 _Thank you Michael._

No one else said a word. Bray's gaze was intense and almost hypnotic and as a shudder passed clean through me, I clamped my eyes shut. Whatever was going to happen, I didn't want to see it. Although luckily things never made it that far.

"Hey Wyatt – hey, you wanna come at someone? What about me, huh? Bring it up here. What's wrong? You scared? Don't think you can beat me? Come on fucker. _Bring it up here_."

It was Dean, shouting loudly and chest-bumping against the ring-ropes as he trash-talked and hounded for all he was worth. Seth was trying to push and pull him backwards but Dean didn't move until he knew it had worked. Abruptly the Wyatts broke apart from each other and lumbered away to their corner of the ring. With the focus off me, I saw Dean suck a breath in and his eyes slid over.

 _Princess, you okay?_

I nodded back quickly – a tiny little gesture – but he saw it anyway and let Seth back him up, the younger of his teammates pawing his hair frantically as if somehow it could brush Dean's anger clean out. Roman joined in too, massaging his collarbone and slowly – _slowly_ – Dean started to cool off.

 _Let's go Wyatts, let's go Shield._

Around us the crowd was still poised for brutal action and the mood in the arena reached expectant new heights. Somewhere to my left, the timekeeper's bell rang and I physically startled.

That was it, the match was on.

"The hot-head – ," Michael Cole intoned flatly and his unfair description made me instantly frown, "The lunatic fringe Dean Ambrose being calmed down by his Shield brethren – ,"

"He's _not_ a lunatic."

Everyone paused and as six eyes swung round at me, I bit back a long and weary sounding even realizing what I was doing, I had played myself right into Vince McMahon's hands. Of course I would defend Dean – he was my boyfriend – but they would have known that. How could they not? I mean, what was the point of having me on commentary if I didn't spice things up a little?

 _Damn it all Vince._

"No?" Michael Cole threw back at me smoothly and – _yep_ , there it was – he was playing a game, "Dean Ambrose is the one that said _the Wyatts want a new world, we're gonna give 'em a new world, wipe them off the face of this earth_ – ,"

"But saying that doesn't make him a lunatic. He just doesn't like them and I mean – honestly – who _does_? I don't like them. Does that make me a lunatic? King doesn't like them. What about him?"

For a second Michael Cole blinked back me silently, clearly both pleased and surprised by my spunk. It would probably have been better if I'd sat and said nothing but there was no way I could do that.

I was defending my man.

"Hey," JBL put in lightly, attempting to bring the mood back around, "Dean's a hot-head, but he wants the Wyatts? Well, he's got 'em."

He certainly did.

Luckily however, it was Seth who started and I sucked in a breath as Dean swung back through the ropes. Again he looked over and I smiled back weakly, willing the match to be finished and done. I didn't like being out there with the Wyatts, I didn't like watching Dean so riled up, I _didn't_ like commentary or being Vince's puppet – basically, in short, I hated the whole thing.

Michael was still chattering but I chose to ignore him, focussing on the action and drying my dripping palms. Back in the ring, Seth had started easily and it wasn't long before he had Rowan on the ropes. Roman tagged in and then kicked him around a bit before Seth was swiftly back to take charge once again. Sadly however, this time it was fleeting and as Rowan burst forward from seemingly out of nowhere, his shoulder made Seth actually _somersault_ mid-air,

" _Ohhhh_ – ,"

"Rowan turns Rollins inside out – ,"

" _No_ ," I bleated, forgetting I was wired and therefore audible, "Come on Seth, get up."

He _did_ get up but not under his own steam, as Erick Rowan reached forward and hauled him vertical by his hair. The next few minutes were painful to watch – which I did through my fingers as the Wyatts took turns – but eventually he was able to get to his corner and tag in Roman,

" _Ha_ , who's laughing now?"

For the second time Cole glanced over in amusement and I bit on my lip to stop it happening again. As much as I wanted to keep my composure, it was scarily easy to forget why I was there and instead of contributing level emotions, I was reacting like the audience. Although so was Lawler,

" _Oh_ – ,"

As Roman slapped Bray Wyatt straight across the features, I let out an unplanned giggle,

" _Yes._ "

So much for keeping my emotions in order. But I just couldn't help it. This was _more_ than a match. It was latent retribution for all that Wyatt had done to me and the torment he had inflicted five short months back. If The Shield could win, it would be like redemption and as Roman went at it, that was clearly the plan. It was impressive to watch the Big Dog in action. He was just so strong and composed in the ring and although there was a moment where he took a brief beating, he was soon back in change and tagging in –

 _Dean._

The crowd around us roared in excitement as my boyfriend practically lunged through the ropes and even Michael Cole – fresh from his insults – seemed jazzed by the prospect,

"Finally, Ambrose."

Dean's lightning entry triggered a set piece in which every Shield member played a brief part. Dean started off by pummelling Harper, before tagging in Seth who delivered a flying arm. The move was accomplished by using Dean as a stepping stone and then as Harper stumbled forward, Roman added a big right hand.

" _Ohhhh_ – ,"

I grinned despite myself and bit my bottom lip down. I was _so_ freaking proud of those three men. I even let out a thrilled little giggle although it died as Wyatt's head again swung round. There was no earthly way he could possibly have heard me, so he had to be working on instinct or smell. Somehow he had _known_ I was enjoyed the action and he was sending me a warning.

 _Don't get too comfortable Little Bird._

"Wow, can anyone else see Bray Wyatt staring?" Lawler chuckled mirthlessly, "I don't like that look."

"He's looking at Lauren," Michael noted helpfully and I swallowed a little,

" _Uh huh_ , I – I know."

"Don't worry Lauren," JBL threw in confidently, drawing himself upright and tapping at my hand, "He's gonna have to get through me if he wants a piece of you."

Cole rolled his eyes,

"Yeah, _that'll_ be hard."

Fortunately the bickering that threatened to erupt again was stifled as Dean promptly tagged himself in. More tags followed but Dean remained the main man and was getting the job done – until Rowan got involved. Sliding along the apron as Harper lay battered, he shook the ropes fiercely and yelled out,

" _Hey_."

Dean turned towards him and then swung an angry arm up, surging forward but just missing as Rowan hopped back off. Spinning back around, Dean moved towards Harper but – _holy shit_ – he was up and _flying through the air_.

"Harper with a drop kick – ,"

"What in the world – ,"

"When have you seen Harper throw a drop kick?"

"The answer would be never,"

I shut my eyes again.

 _Oh god._

The force of the manoeuvre had almost ripped Dean's head off and he lay on the mat blinking and obviously stunned. For a second he didn't even look like he was with it. Did he know where he was? Did he even know _why_?

"Come on Dean," I whispered nervously, clenching my hands together, " _Please_ be okay."

The question of whether he was or he wasn't was still up for debate when Bray Wyatt's hand stretched out, reaching across the ropes towards Harper and asking for the tag in. I frowned,

 _Bastard._

All the while that Harper had been losing, he had stood on the apron and not said a word, but the second Dean was down and unable to defend himself, there he was, just _dying_ to get his turn.

"No," I whispered as Harper hauled Dean upright and pinned him in place so Bray could hit him _hard_. I didn't want to watch but didn't have any option as in front of me Dean was slammed into the mat. As he rolled towards us, his eyes glanced over me. They looked exhausted but I could see the _fire_ as well. It meant that just so long as he was still breathing then he wasn't about to ever back down. Even so it was hard to sit through the pummelling, which culminated in Dean lying weakly on the canvas and Bray with his arms out, shouting at the world,

"Is this not what you wanted?" he bellowed aggressively, first at Seth and Roman and then – more worryingly – me, "Is this not what you wanted _Little Bird_?"

Seth strained up against the ropes in warning,

"Hey – ,"

"He's a whack job," Michael murmured, keeping his voice low, "No doubt about that."

For once that evening everyone agreed with him and as Bray sauntered backwards, Rowan tagged in. I shut my eyes in frustration at his eagerness, clenching my fists together.

 _Ugh, that's enough._

Sadly however, it turned out it wasn't and the torment continued through several more tags. Throughout it all though, Dean kept on fighting, kicking out of pins and taking it like a champ. My heart sang with pride – or possibly terror – but there was simply no denying that my man was tough.

"You know," Michael started up, sounding almost thoughtful which didn't seem appropriate given what was going on. It was hardly the proper arena for a thesis but unfortunately for me that's exactly what he gave, "It would be ironic if it was Ambrose who was pinned here tonight after all the jaw jacking he did at the start of the show."

" _Excuse me_?" I barked, "Are you saying he _deserves_ this? What should he have done? Sing them a song? Maybe you think he should have baked them some cookies? That might be _your_ style but it's definitely not his."

Beside me JBL chuckled broadly, sensing someone else who could bust his partner's balls.

"You tell him girl."

Even Lawler was grinning,

"We might have to make this a permanent thing."

We were so consumed by our unravelling bitch-fight that we almost forgot to pay attention to the ring. I looked up just as Dean made a counter which freed him up to struggle back to the team. Both Roman and Seth were waving him over, stamping on the apron and willing him in. For a second I doubted he would actually make it, but as Harper surged towards him he _rolled_ and tagged Seth in.

" _Yes_ ," I shrieked, launching myself upright I was so involved, " _Ha_. Do you see now? Do you see why I love him? Take _that_ Wyatt Family and – oh, um – I think _maybe_ I'll sit back down – ,"

The elation wore off again pretty rapidly and I flushed at the amusement I saw painted along the desk. Even the Spanish announcers were chuckling and I dropped into my seat and folded my hands quietly, wondering if my reactions made Vince happy or alarmed. No one had come to drag me off again at any rate, or cut my feed, so I _assumed_ that was good. Back in the ring, Seth started strongly but it wasn't too long before it all went to hell. As it spilled from the ring, Dean stalked across the apron and stood on the post angrily yelling down at Bray,

"Why don't you bring that crap over here, huh? Why don't you bring that crap over here?"

I loved that he was so protective of his teammates, but on this occasion there was very little he could do. Or, at least I _thought_ there was little he could do about it, because the very next minute he burst into the ring and broke up the count as Bray went for the pin. For his trouble he received a boot to the head as Harper did likewise and swung through the ropes. The punt knocked Dean clean over his own shoulders and propelled him physically out of the ring.

"Yep," JBL drawled like he'd been expecting it, "Goodnight to the lunatic fringe."

 _Come on Dean._

Fortunately however – again – he was just stunned by it and so was able to slowly drag himself back up. He watched from the side-lines as Seth fought off a mugging before tagging in Roman who promptly cleared house. By the time Bray Wyatt broke up the three count, he was good to go again and swiftly dived back in, practically _spider-monkeying_ his nemesis before both of them ended up outside the ring,

"Things are breaking down guys," Michael Cole yelled unnecessarily, as bodies began to fly around the space. Suddenly that even included Luke Harper as he dived headfirst through the ropes at Dean on the floor. Seeing him take flight was instantly unlikely and it produced an almighty roar from the crowd. It also drew a big roar from commentary as Lawler, Cole and JBL all yelled out,

"Wait a minute – ,"

"You gotta be kidding me – ,"

"He just launched himself – ,"

I gaped in astonishment as Dean was forced backwards, the power of Harper's landing throwing him spine-first against the crowd. Fortunately Seth provided instant retribution with a spinning manoeuvre that hit right on Harper's giant head.

"There are bodies everywhere – ," Cole yelled hoarsely as Rowan and Roman – _that_ was confusing, it had never occurred to me how similar those names were – continued to try and form some semblance of a match up with the beleaguered referee back in the ring. Seth meanwhile was fully on the rampage and after laying out Harper he stalked right by. With a look of fury he ripped the cover from the announce desk – not ours but the Spanish one, he wasn't _that_ possessed – and was busy pulling the monitors from their holders when another blur flashed past us and I shrieked at him,

" _Seth_ – ,"

He turned too late and Bray crashed straight into him, sending him to the ground as Harper lumbered in as well. My heart hit my throat. This was _not_ good. Seth was in the clutches of a duo of psychopaths and his teammates were down and pretty much out. Bray was grinning – god only knew what he would do with him – and reaching down he dragged the smaller man up by his hair.

" _Hey_ ," I yelled, standing up before I realized it and at the same time accidentally yanking my headphones out. With a look of pure alarm, JBL grabbed hold of me, his hiss clearly audible even above the screaming crowd,

"Lauren, _sit down_."

But it was far too late, Bray's eyes were on me and he grinned ever wider and tipped his head to one side. Dropping Seth – who hit the ground weakly – he stepped towards the desk and in too close.

"You want to take his place?" he bellowed, grabbing me, "You want to learn how to _fly_ Little Bird?"

Pulling me round and away from the table, I struggled to grind my feet into the ground. I was desperate to stop myself from becoming their victim – for the second time in a year – but I had no idea how. So much for JBL's promise to look after me. Where the hell was he? I whirled my head back. Sure enough he was taking off his headphones, but _achingly_ slowly. He was stalling for time. In a last ditch hope I looked towards the titantron, wondering if Steph had rallied the troops. Naturally I should have known it wouldn't be so simple and as Bray tugged me I tripped and fell against his chest. We were standing in front of the cleared announce table and my heart half-exploded.

Where they putting _me_ through that?

" _No_ – ," I yelled in a burst of pure panic which made Bray chuckle,

"It didn't have to be this way."

In the same moment he spun me towards it however, a fast-moving black shape dove into view. Taking out Harper in one fluid motion that flung him over backwards before turning towards Bray.

 _Dean._

"Ambrose goes after Bray," Michael bellowed as I was pushed so roughly so that I bumped against the desk. By the time I turned around – shaking and breathless – Dean was already going to town. Fists were flying and the pair of them were tangled in a furious moving bundle of limbs.

"Don't fuckin' touch her – ," I heard Dean snarl viciously, before propelling Bray up and right over the barricade. It was pretty good manoeuvre but Bray snagged his shirt up and so Dean was also dragged along for the ride.

" _Whoa_ – ," Lawler shrieked as the crowd went wild and I held my breath until I saw him spring up. But Bray was up as well and their feud was not over, as with total disregard for everything and everyone they began to battle their way back through the crowd. Not towards the ring either but _away_ from it and as they carved a path backwards, my heart hit my throat. If Bray got Dean alone backstage – away from the cameras – then anything could go down. I absolutely could not let that happen, not knowing what being trapped alone with Bray was like. Pushing my hair back, I dropped down quickly and shook Seth roughly, willing him upright,

"Seth? Seth, you've got to get Dean – ,"

He grumbled and frowned at me but clearly didn't follow and from his dazed expression, I could see he was nearly out. Roman was still battling Rowan behind us and there was no one else to help me. _I_ would have to go. Standing up with a wave of adrenaline, I stepped towards the barricade.

JBL caught my arm.

"Lauren," he started and – oh, yeah – _now_ he was moving, "What in the world – ,"

I briskly shook him off.

Taking a breath I crossed to the crowd and then clambered inelegantly over the rail. Usually I had one of The Shield guys to help me and without their strong arms it seemed impossibly high. I almost face-planted in both clumsiness and panic, but was saved by a spectator who offered out his hand. Up ahead I could still just about see Dean and Wyatt, but they were heading for some doors and I gasped and sped up. For the most part moving through the crowd made me terrified, but I barely even noticed them my gaze was so intent. All I could focus on – all I could _think_ about – was getting to Dean and trying to help. I wasn't entirely sure _how_ I would help him, but the plan was evolving, so I would figure it out.

Behind me the crowd roared at something or someone, but I was too far away from it to know what it was. Instead I sucked a breath in and headed for the exit doors, praying silently.

 _Hold on Dean._

* * *

 **So, Lauren verses Bray, huh? Who do you think is going to win that?!**

 **Also, I'm toying with whether or not to do the old Seth heel turn storyline, for a future Lauren and Dean but not sure my poor heart could handle writing it (why Seth,** _ **why**_ **?) Should I give it a go and see what happens?**


	3. I Will Follow

**Time for Lauren to show her balls again (however briefly) she's growing folks!**

 **Skovko, Her clumsiness is totally my own. I always feel like people must be watching me and so therefore I must be graceful and swanlike...which makes my clumsiness about ten times worse! I threw a chocolate across the room today in an important management meeting. I'm so not cool!**

 **Moxley Gal1, I feel it's going to be an important part of Lauren and Dean's story, but the Shield breaking up sucks in any universe! Although, with that being said, heel Seth was gloriously evil and it allowed us lots of lovely Roman and Dean brother moments...so I'm a little bit torn!**

 **Mandy, But Seth was so good evil! Plus, I can't deny it happened and I'm sort of following the storylines so maybe I have to? But I figure he'll always have a soft spot for Lauren. Is it wrong that I miss heel Seth? When Dean comes back to TV, I hope Seth turns again instead of him. Swerve!**

 **Rebel8954, Maybe I can do a twist? Or maybe Lauren can get involved and derail Seth's heel turn. But then we would miss out on all that great Seth vs. Dean stuff that followed, along with protective Roman. Gonna have to put my thinking cap on for this one I think *dusts it off***

 **Raze Olympus, You're right, I think I'm just gonna have to go for it and follow history as it was laid out. The Bray stuff can easily have got to Seth, even though Dean has a right to hate Wyatt's guts. Plus Seth** _ **does**_ **have reason to be annoyed in this chapter, although both of the guys are…**

 **Minnie1015, I know, I can't get my head around the new year either! I'm pretty set on covering the Seth betrayal somehow, can't not really, although I hate to see (or write) them breaking up! My Shield Reunited stories are pretty much my way to right the wrongs (then do worse to them!)**

 **TheSilverWolff, Yay! I'm so glad you enjoy these crazy stories! I never know if I've done too many and scared folk off! Don't worry, Lauren will never be totally ballsy, she's too clumsy and chaotic to go the whole way! There is more Seth/Roman/Lauren to come too. You must have known!**

 **Guest, Oooh, thank you so much! I'm really glad there's still love for this pairing even though I've done a lot of stories about them now. It's lovely reviews like this that drive them on! Hope you enjoy the rest of this story (P.S. The next story is my current favorite in their arc, coming soon!)**

 **Debwood-1999, Well, it's probably as close to a showdown as she will get and naturally things don't go quite to plan! As for the next bad guy? You may be right on that...or maybe not! Definite hints in this chapter though, confirmation later then a new story after that! This thing is rolling!**

 **Lauren v. Bray, here we go..** **.**

* * *

 **I Will Follow**

The fans who had been positioned by the exit doors were unexpectedly having the show of their lives. By the time I got there, Bray and Dean were all out brawling and it was scrappy and ugly and totally unhinged.

Skirting an untidy mess of beer and popcorn, I looked up just in time to see them slam into the doors. The release bar gave way beneath their dual burden and flew open with a clatter, essentially _tipping_ them straight through.

They went down in a tangle of bodies, mercifully with Dean on top. A member of the arena staff skittered towards them and then stopped uncertainly, not wanting to get involved. What she _did_ do however, was start to hound the crowd back but she wasn't expecting me and so I blistered straight through,

" _Dean_ – ,"

I arrived in a skid in the plain backstage corridor and then almost instantly ground to a halt. In the seconds it had taken me to cross the space towards them, both Bray and my boyfriend seemed to have got up and moved off. The giveaway however was the sound of hits and grunting and I followed it – exhausted – around the corner to my right.

Sure enough there they were – the pair of them still scrapping – but now that I was with them, I had no idea what to do.

Momentarily it didn't seem like Dean even needed me, as he drove his kneecap into Bray's features and snapped the cult leader's head right back. He careened into the wall and fell against it panting, tentatively touching his lips through his beard. A thought ghosted over me and I frowned but went with it.

I hope Dean had knocked out the asshole's teeth.

My heart was thumping hard against my ribcage as my thoughts chased back to the night months ago, when I had been stood in a corridor very much like it and Bray had shut the lights out and carried me off. It lanced a shiver of terror right through me but I fought it down.

Dean was here this time.

No way would he allow anyone to get to me, although it was hard to protect me when he didn't know I was there. Stepping forward to call him, or grab him – or plain drag him away while his enemy was down – I stopped short as Bray suddenly seemed to rear up again and charged across the space to drive Dean back hard.

My boyfriend's head collided with the wall heavily and then bounced forward as his body went limp. For a horrible second I thought he was unconscious, but as he crumpled to the floor, his eyes were still bright.

" _Dean_ – ," I offered uselessly for a second time, but this one was louder and driven by concern. As it echoed more startlingly than I had banked on around the corridor, both men turned to look at me and I baulked a little,

 _Crap._

Dean's eyes were glassy and barely comprehending, but Bray's were sharp and narrowed with glee. Dropping Dean in a heap against the concrete, he stepped in towards me and chuckled darkly,

"My, my, my – _Little Bird_ ,"

I swallowed down the nausea and balled my fists tightly, trying to look imposing,

"L-leave him alone."

Oh good, a stutter, _that_ would frighten him and predictably my command was followed by a snort.

"You come to save your sweetheart Mockingbird?"

"Don't call me that," I shakily chattered out. From the floor, Dean let out a grumble of confusion and rolled onto his stomach like a puppet without strings.

 _Time to get up now._

I psychically sent him, praying that we had some telepathic link. I was an idiot to think that I could honestly defend him. All I had done was put myself in harm's way. Ironically that was the _one_ thing Dean hadn't wanted and so in trying to protect him, I had enabled his worst fear. The only saving grace in the whole thing – if you could even call it that – was that considering he was virtually comatose, he wouldn't have to watch me being beaten down.

Or dragged off or whatever Bray had in store for me.

I swallowed down my nausea.

 _Oh god, oh god._

As Bray stepped forward, I promptly skittered backwards and collided with a piece of equipment on wheels. It scooted back and crashed into some scaffolding and there was an almighty clatter as everything fell. Even _backing up_ I could somehow still cause chaos and Bray grinned widely, as if thinking the same thing.

"So much trouble for something so small – ,"

He reached out his hand and I stumbled away from him, wanting to run but not prepared to turn my back. From experience I knew that Bray was much faster and so I kept my eyes on him and continued to step off.

" _Dean_ – ," I whispered, fighting fearful tears back and watching as he moved just a tiny little bit. Bray stepped across to block my view completely and I sucked a shrill gasp in and then nearly tripped. Some of the debris that I caused to fall earthwards was blocking the corridor and my feet got caught up. Stumbling a little, I banged into the wall sideways but as Bray advanced forward, I ducked down and grasped at straws.

The item my hands fell on first was a microphone, which had fallen from the case and then rolled across the floor, but I abandoned it as soon as I noticed the metal tubing and I grabbed it and then straightened, holding it up like a club.

 _Lauren Hope, in the corridor with the lead piping._

I was like a cut-price version of a wrestling _Cluedo_ game.

"S-stay where you are Bray," I ordered in a whisper. I had meant it as a growl but my throat had seized up, "I – I mean it, don't make me use this."

My tormentor merely chuckled,

"You wouldn't know how."

Then, without warning he lunged across the space at me and despite feeling ready, I squeaked and tensed up. The pipe lowered down to my side as I huddled and I shut my eyes pitifully.

Some brawler _I_ was.

Any second I expected to feel his girth pile into me but although there was a thud and a growl, I never got hit. When I tentatively unscrewed my eyelids, it was to the sight of Bray lying prone at my feet. A breathless and panting form stood over him, holding the microphone – which apparently _was_ the better choice. His blue eyes were dull and pained but triumphant and as he looked up at me, the pipe slid from my grasp.

"Lauren? You okay?"

I surged in towards him, stepping over Bray like he was a puddle on the floor. Without even a word I flung my arms around him and rocked onto my tiptoes to bury my head against his neck.

" _Dean_ ," I breathed, "Thank god you're alright."

His arms came round to circle me dazedly as his poor jumbled brain tried to join the loose threads,

"What the hell are you doin' back here? Why aren't you on commentary?"

"I – I came to protect you."

He blinked at me for several seconds of bewilderment before frowning in confusion,

"You came to protect _me_?"

"I didn't want Bray to get you on your own and Seth was out and Roman was still fighting and no one else was coming so I – I just went. I mean, I know it was probably stupid and reckless and I shouldn't have done it and I could have gotten hurt, but I couldn't stand the thought of what he might do to you and you were going through the crowd and I – ,"

"Hey, Lauren, slow down."

Reaching up, Dean cupped my face gently and forced me to look at him. I was babbling again. It was something I did whenever I was nervous, or when I was excited or anything in between. Over the months he had learned that the best way to deal with it was to simply stop me in the midst of my drift and at the feel of his taped-up hands on my cheekbones, I did as expected and quickly shut up.

Well, _almost_.

"You're not – you're not mad at me are you?"

Dean snorted softly,

"Kinda."

"Oh."

"But mostly I'm just fuckin' surprised you came after me."

"Why? I love you."

" _Fuck_ ," Dean pulled me close. His body was sticky and damp and I liked it, I liked how it mixed with his aftershave scent. His arms folded round me and I buried my head into him, almost struggling to breathe he was holding so tight, "Fuck, what did I ever do to deserve you? I mean, you faced your worst nightmare because you were worried about _me_. I've never had anyone love me that much _ever_. Don't leave me Princess."

I clung on tighter,

"I won't."

Below us on the floor, Bray let out a grumble and started to roll slightly like a turtle on its back. Dean spun me around away from him quickly and then gave him a none-too-gentle kick to the ribs.

"Come on."

Taking me by the arm he began to lead me away again and not just away from Wyatt either but away from the crowd and the ring and the stage. He moved like a rabbit through the warren of passages, pushing through doors and half-dragging me along.

"Uh, Dean," I whispered not wanting to break the silence, like the pair of us were somewhere more refined than an arena, like a library or a museum or a really expensive shop, "Where are we going?"

"I'm takin' you somewhere safe, alright?"

"Me?" I blinked at him, "Um – what for?"

"Lauren, you just stood up to _Bray fuckin' Wyatt_ , you really think he's gonna let that shit go? I gotta get back out to help Seth and Roman but no way in _hell_ am I leavin' you ringside alone."

"You're going to lock me in the dressing room aren't you?"

"If I have to."

I sighed,

"Yeah, I know."

As we slalomed around the corner however, we collided with someone we didn't expect and while Dean managed to slam his brakes on quickly, I wasn't so fortunate and banged right into their chest. There was a grunt as Kane stood a tiny step backwards and then glared down at me, full of intent. He didn't even _blink_ for the first ten seconds and then Dean snarled at him,

"Wanna get out of our way?"

Kane's eyes didn't leave mine for a second but he responded to my boyfriend nevertheless.

"I've been looking for you two."

"Yeah?" Dean slung back, "Can't keep away can ya?"

"Hunter sent me."

"Dad?"

At my use of the familiar – and not inaccurate title – Kane's dark expression clouded over even more. Given that he already hated me, reminders of who my father was probably didn't help. Essentially if I wasn't related, I think he'd have fired me many months ago.

"Yeah," he ground out, unhappily, " _Your father_. He was worried about you."

"Oh, well, I'm fine."

"He wants me to take you back to his office. Thank you Ambrose, I'll take it from here."

In response to the directive Dean snorted wryly and brushed away the other man's outstretched hand. Kane had been reaching to pull me away from him but there was no way in hell he was letting that go down.

"Yeah, thanks _boss_ but I think I got this, I'll take her there myself."

"But the match – ,"

" _I got this_."

Dean's expression was a dangerous glower but then so was Kane's and neither man was backing down. Eventually however I sucked a deep breath in and turned to Dean to place my hands across his chest. His blue eyes flickered down at me, but only for a second. Mostly he was fixated on Kane.

"Dean," I began, trying to sound confident, "I don't mind, _really_. I – I'll go with Kane. You need to get back to help Seth and Roman, they need you more than I do."

"Lauren – ,"

"I'll be _fine_."

He stood for a second debating the options and clearly not wanting to leave me behind. His eyes slid up to Kane's and a warning rippled through them, passing a silent message along.

 _If anything happens to her, I'll make you pay for it._

Kane smirked back.

 _Alright tough guy, bring it on._

Tiptoeing up as I continued to push Dean backwards, I gently pressed a kiss to his lips. The action drew his focus back on me and I stared at him worried,

"Hey, be safe."

With Kane watching closely – and therefore ruining the moment – Dean chose not to deepen the embrace, instead planting a peck on the top of my forehead and then stepping away from us.

"Get to Hunter, alright Lauren? Then _stay_ there. I'll come and get you when everything's done."

With one final loaded death glare at his superior, Dean turned and jogged back the way we had come. Somewhere his teammates were still taking a beating and I didn't want to be the reason they were a pivotal man down. Unfortunately however, that left me with Kane and as Dean rounded the corner, we were suddenly alone. The silence was deafening and seemed to stretch on forever and I sucked in a deep breath and looked up,

" _So_ – ,"

I startled as I realized he was already looking – I had kind of assumed he would be busy watching Dean – but sure enough the cold eyes were fixed on me and I shuddered lightly and quickly dropped my gaze.

"Come on," he grumbled, blowing a breath out that made his nose whistle, "This way. Stay with me."

Then he spun away with me trotting alongside.

It briefly occurred to me as we were walking, that if he wanted to _do away_ with me he probably could. Although I was fairly _au fait_ with arenas, I still wasn't as confident backstage as he was. He could have walked me straight into a cupboard or a quiet little side room and finished me off. As luck would have it however, he did neither and after what felt like about four hours – but was likely four minutes in the grand scheme of things – we arrived at the room where Vince had screwed me over and Kane knocked briskly and then marched us both in.

Hunter was upright and pacing the room angrily, but he stopped on seeing us and sighed,

"Thank god."

In the blink of an eye he was across the space in front of us and pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. It was the second time in the space of ten minutes that someone had squeezed me and it was beginning to hurt. My face was buried in the folds of his jacket and I moved my head sideways in order to breathe.

A third figure was standing against the wall by the doorway, leant back casually, arms folded across his chest. Randy Orton was never far from my family since having become The Authority's pet, so it shouldn't have surprised me to see him in the office but at the same time – I'll be honest – it kind of did. Not so much his physical presence but his expression which was a cold but twinkle-eyed smirk. What exactly did he think was so funny?

Maybe I amused him?

I usually did.

"Thank god," Hunter blew out again from above me, finally releasing me from the weave of his suit, "You alright? Did Wyatt hurt you? What the hell happened out there? Where did you go?"

"Uh, that's a lot of questions – ,"

Kane let out a growl. It was getting so frequent I was beginning to wonder whether it was conscious or whether it was some sort of messed up _breathing_ thing. Perhaps he had a collapsed nasal passage or a jacked up trachea or really poor lungs. Maybe he'd drawn a really bad hand in life and ended up with a terrible mix of all three?

"She went after Ambrose and Wyatt backstage. I found them together."

I frowned,

" _Actually_ Dean was bringing me to the office to find you. He told me to stay here until it was safe."

"But you still went after him?" Hunter rumbled darkly and as the storm clouds descended, the atmosphere grew tense, "You left your post on commentary and went after Bray?"

"No, I went after _Dean_."

"Same thing Lauren."

"No it isn't – ,"

"You could have been hurt."

"Well I wasn't, alright? I'm totally fine. Besides, Dean was there – you know he protects me. He wouldn't let Wyatt get anywhere near."

My reaction was passionate and as fierce as I knew how to be but Hunter merely responded with a growl. Randy meanwhile threw a wry snort in and I glared at him bitterly.

Why was he even there?

"Ambrose shouldn't have been backstage in the first place," Hunter snapped and – okay – he had a point, "What the hell was he _thinking_ Lauren? Leaving his teammates? Fighting through _the crowd_?"

Randy's smirk promptly widened in pleasure and it made me bristle,

"That was _Wyatt's_ fault. He's the one that pushed things too far, he's the one that got me involved. I don't know if you were watching but Bray _dragged_ me into it. He was going to put me through the Spanish announce desk – ,"

Hunter closed his eyes very briefly. Evidently he had been watching the whole thing. The image of me crashing backwards through plywood was clearly an image he didn't really need and he raised his hand and massaged at his brow line, hoping to stop me,

"Lauren – ,"

" _He was_. The only reason I'm not broken in half right now is because _Dean_ came through for me – like he always does. I wouldn't even have been out there in the first place if Vince hadn't come up with his genius scheme. Dean was doing his best to keep me safe out there. He was _protecting_ me, okay? Don't put this on him."

As I finished the room fell awkwardly silent while everyone paused to drink in my speech. I _hoped_ it meant that they realized I was right but as Randy chuckled lightly, the prospect faded fast,

"Not sure his teammates will be so understanding considering he left them high and dry."

"Are you still here?" I threw back sharply and Randy smirked coolly. In fact he looked borderline _turned on_. The hunger in his gaze made me physically shudder but I tried to downplay it as Hunter blew out a sigh,

"Look, we're just saying that Ambrose is a hot-head. I don't think you can honestly tell us he's not. Now I don't doubt that he does his best to protect you, I just worry that one of these days his temper will get you hurt."

I blinked at him in astonishment,

"Meaning?"

" _Meaning_ that sometimes he just doesn't think, he goes crashing into these feuds without preparing and that's not always the best way to get these things done. He needs to be aware of the people around him and the consequences of – Lauren? Wait, where are you going?"

I was halfway out the door before he realized I was moving, my fists clenched angrily,

" _Anywhere_ but here."

"Whoa, hold on a minute," Hunter surged towards me but it was Randy who grabbed me and pushed shut the door.

"Get _off_ me," I snarled, ripping my wrist away from him and inadvertently stumbling into Hunter's outstretched arms. They folded round me quickly yet soothingly and despite myself I stood and accepted his hug.

 _Ugh._

It was all so unfair – the whole sorry evening – from Vince, to being on commentary, to Dean getting heat. I was still shaken up from my encounter with Wyatt and my emotions were jumbled and fractious to say the least. Sucking in a breath, I tried to force the tears back but there was a lump in my throat that wouldn't go away. Sensing it – with his newly honed fatherly instincts – Hunter _shushed_ me gently and let me get control,

"Hey, it's alright. I shouldn't have said that. I know how much Ambrose means to you Lauren and I also know how much you mean to him. I'm sorry kiddo, I didn't mean to upset you. Let's just pretend it didn't happen, alright?"

I nodded against him somewhat numbly, trying to banish Randy from my direct line of sight. Kane was standing sentry-like over by the window but he too was frowning at me. In fact they both were. Clearly the fact that I could get around Hunter by being tearful wasn't something they much liked. But what did I care? He was my dad and I was emotional. Neither of those facts were things I could help.

"Alright," I whispered, pulling away from him and Hunter cupped my face and gave me a grin,

"Good. I don't like when my baby is mad with me."

I shrugged my shoulders absently,

"It's okay, I'm not."

With the truce newly brokered, Hunter stepped away from me, moving towards the desk and snatching up his phone. It was always surprising how quickly he could alternate between caring father and no-nonsense _boss man_. Sometimes I found it hard to keep up with, which was why his next order took a while to sink in,

"I'll have my driver take you back to the hotel – you'll be safer there with Wyatt still around."

 _Huh?_

I blinked,

"But Dean said – ,"

" _You're going_. This isn't a request Lauren. I don't want you sticking around here tonight. Ambrose can join you as soon as he's finished but I want you out of this place within the hour."

"Don't worry," Randy smirked and just the mere _sound_ of him made my grit my teeth together tight, "I'm sure he can get a ride with his brothers – if they're still conscious and walking of course."

As Kane snorted in what I assumed was amusement, I bit down on my tongue but didn't say a word. I honestly didn't know what it was with them. But the three of us had just never gotten along. It was partly because they looked down on The Shield boys as nothing more than tactical muscle for hire but it was also deeper and more instinctual than that – like a natural reaction or a chemical response. From the moment I had met them, I just knew I didn't like them and more than that, I knew I never would. Kane and Randy were _not_ my sort of people and quite evidently I was not one of theirs. Fortunately however my internal musings – and Hunter's barked phone call – were interrupted by the door. There was one brisk knock and then the handle twisted and opened right up to reveal the man himself.

"Dean," I grinned, ecstatic to see him, but my smile quickly faded at the look on his face. He seemed exhausted and slumped and _defeated_ and it made me catch my breath, "Are you okay? Hey, what's wrong?"

His eyes flickered up to the other men around us and then he shook his head minutely at me.

 _Not now._

"Ambrose," Randy smirked, "Wow, bad night, huh?"

Dean glared back silently then simply reached for my hand. I wrapped my fingers around his tightly and the second they were locked I could feel myself start to calm down. I mean – okay – so something was clearly off with him, but he was _there_ and that was enough in itself.

"I'm having my driver take Lauren to the hotel," Hunter put in flatly, "You're welcome to go along."

Dean nodded mutely and dragged in a breath, although whether through weariness or biting down a comeback I wasn't quite sure and neither was anybody else. Instead he turned and pulled me behind him and I followed him willingly, throwing a final look at my dad. Hunter's expression was severe and unblinking and it wounded me slightly.

What had Dean ever done?

The last face I caught sight of before I stepped into the corridor, was Randy's and sure enough it was still wearing a big smirk. He almost felt like some annoying stepbrother that had been brought into my family and was now tagging along. I wondered if I would have to share Christmases with him, or buy him a birthday gift or share a damn room.

Seriously.

His devoted obsession with my father was as deeply irritating as it was kind of _weird_. What the hell was wrong with him and where did he get off being such a dick?

As we rounded the corner away from their glares, I let out the breath I'd been holding the whole time and shook out a tremor.

"Wow, thank god I'm out of there. _That_ was awkward, I mean, _really_ awkward. Being trapped in a room with those two is not fun. I think I would even prefer a bikini wax, or colonic irrigation or a _lobotomy_ , you know? Anything to take away all the torment. Dean? Are you listening? Um, _hello_?"

Dean stared dead ahead and kept on walking, faster than usual which meant I was forced into a jog. I didn't believe he was actually ignoring me but it was almost like he'd forgotten I was there and as he swung us tightly round a corner, I banged into a wall which parted our hands.

" _Ouch_."

"Princess?" Dean was in front of me instantly, his blue eyes worried, " _Fuck_. You okay?"

"Uh huh," I nodded, rubbing my shoulder, "I'm good."

I was lying – it was going to leave a mark – and whirling away from me almost like he knew it, Dean kicked a door and then wearily dropped his head. He cupped it in his hands and then stood there for a moment before sweeping them upwards and carding through his hair.

" _Fuck_."

"Dean?" I whispered, reaching out towards him and taking his hand, which he thankfully let me do, "What's wrong? What happened? Where are Seth and Roman?"

He glanced across defeatedly and shook his head,

"Not here, alright? Not here. I just – we'll go back to the hotel, okay? I'll tell you there. I just – I can't do this now."

"Alright," I nodded, moving in towards him and cradling his face with my palms, "It's alright."

He let his face drop heavily into them and then stood there letting me essentially hold him up. His hands dropped down to grip my hips lightly and he shut his eyes briefly.

"Lauren – ,"

"It's okay, I know."

As footsteps came towards us round the corner, he suddenly snapped upright and grabbed my hand again. It was almost like he hadn't just broken and it both impressed and saddened me that he could conjure up that front. Whatever was bothering him, we would have to talk about it but before that we needed to get back to the hotel.

"Come on," he sighed, tugging me gently and I followed in silence, feeling oddly disturbed.

What on earth had happened when he'd left me?

Where were the guys?

What on earth had gone wrong?

* * *

 **So, time to turn the tables next chapter and have Lauren comforting Dean for once. He can't be the tough guy all of the time!**

 **Thanks for your reviews guys, they always make a long day so much brighter!**


	4. Fix You

**Time for some good old fashioned comforting, not to mention answers about what went down.**

 **Sodapop25, Aww, thank you, so glad you found this series and that you're enjoying reading about all the ups and down in this wild relationship ride! There are others tales in this series too if you haven't already found them yet and at least a couple more to come (I love writing these two!)**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Hunter is really struggling between being the boss and being her father in this story. In the next story that theme gets expanded a whole lot more to put it mildly (with that one coming very soon after this one and maybe being my absolute favourite out of the bunch!)**

 **Raze Olympus, Haha, you and your crazy observations, I love them! Yeah, the title wouldn't have been my first choice, but hey *shrugs* that's what the WWE creative team in their infinite wisdom decided to call the storyline, so who was I to switch that up! As for Dean? He's feeling all blue...**

 **Mandy, The heel Seth and face Dean dynamic was so raw and angry. It wasn't one of those feuds that comes out of nowhere, there was real meat to it. Plus heel Seth could be hilarious with his facial expressions and the things he would shout during matches. He's a natural at being evil!**

 **Skovko, Yep, not even Caramel Chew Chew ice cream will help our poor boy (my favourite flavour, what can I say?) Luckily it's time for Lauren to step in and try to make everything a whole lot better. Sad Dean is not my favourite thing to write (believe it or not) but he has his moments too!**

 **Labinnacslove, Hey, you're back! Missed your reviews! Hope you're loving our crazy couple just as much as you have done before. Hunter is playing the overbearing daddy here. The next story in their journey though has him in it a lot more and things get real and very dangerous (teaser!)**

 **Minnie1015, I figured it was about time that Lauren gave Dean some comfort after everything he's done for her, hope you like it! This story is only going to be short, to cover this timeframe but I'm going to launch straight into the next one after, which is a HUGE deal in their story. A HUGE deal!**

 **Back to it then...**

* * *

 **Fix You**

The car ride back was uncomfortably silent although Hunter's eager driver did his best to cheer us up. Evidently he had grown up in the area and was keen to give us the full _tour guide_ shtick. It meant that as we drove, he pointed out landmarks or offered little stories, although they didn't really help.

"That's where I met my wife when I was seventeen – ,"

"Oh, well that's sweet."

"Divorced her last year. She tried to take me for every cent I own."

It was a blessing when we finally reached the hotel, although not even the prospect of being alone again and away from the arena could pep up Dean's mood.

I had sort of been expecting him to sit down and tell me – to stop my mind racing through what could have gone wrong – but instead he headed into the bathroom to shower and change out of his sweaty ring clothes. It occurred to me only after he'd flipped the jets on that he was still in his wrestling gear. That was a bad sign. It meant that he hadn't wasted time in the locker room which only heightened the fear of _a crack in the Shield_.

Thank you Michael Cole for keep repeating _that_ one – although if nothing it proved that repetition really worked.

With nothing else to do, I made a few phone calls and replied to the texts that were cluttering up my phone. One was from Kelly and Brent who'd been watching and were desperate to know that I was both safe _and_ sound, another was from Stephanie begging forgiveness for not having reacted when Wyatt had dragged me round the desk and one was from our sweet middle-aged house sitter, who had sent me a picture of our slumbering dog. He was tucked up in his comfortable basket in the kitchen and the image made me smile and desperately miss home.

 _Home._

It was strange how quickly Las Vegas had become that, especially for me, the quintessential small town girl. The thought of me even _visiting_ the desert would have seemed unlikely, but now I was _living there_. We had a house – okay, his house technically but that didn't matter because it was totally _our_ home – we had a life and a routine and Boomer.

We were a _family_.

I adored that.

It was why I felt the tremor in Dean's world so violently – the two of us were joined now, for better or for worse – so it was also what drove me to pick my phone back up and type out a message that I desperately hoped would work.

 _Are you guys alright? Dean won't say what happened. Please don't be mad. He was trying to keep me safe._

Seth didn't reply although I knew he'd seen it and that made me panic about things even more. Had I somehow managed to make things worse?

 _Oh god._

I bet I had.

I was a stupid, _stupid_ , totally moronic person who Dean would never forgive in a million years and –

There was a ping and I launched across the bed towards my cell phone, snatching it up as the screen shone bright. Luckily Roman had messaged me back again and I could almost _hear_ his soothing tone.

 _Don't worry Baby Girl_.

How had he known that I would be worrying? It wasn't like I did it all the time, right?

 _Everything is gonna be fine._

I drew in a deep breath and blew it out quickly. If Roman was confident that they could get past it – whatever _it_ was since I still didn't know – then that meant I could afford to relax just a little and so as Dean emerged from the shower, damp and gorgeous, I looked up and smiled at him winningly,

"Hey you."

Unfortunately however I'd forgotten he was miserable and so instead of grin back he merely offered up a grunt.

"Bathroom's free," he murmured almost absently, rubbing at his dripping hair with a towel. My heart broke into a million pieces seeing him so down and just plain _lost_ so without another word I crossed the room towards him and pulled his face my way,

"First, we need to talk."

He tried to brush my hands away gently but I hung on stubbornly until he sighed,

"Princess – ,"

"No, I won't let you shut me out, okay? You're sad and I hate that. So just – please, let me help."

In response to my incessant but unflinching coaxing, Dean rolled his eyes and let me pull him towards the bed. I settled myself down cross-legged in front of him and held his hand tightly in between both of mine. He looked at it in a tiny little flash of amusement and quirked a brow at me,

"What? Think I'm gonna run?"

"Maybe."

He shook his head,

"Not from you – _ever_ ,"

Then he leant forward and started to kiss me, a long, deep, yearning, hungry kiss. His lips were warm and wet and amazing and the contact was so powerful that it made me tingle and momentarily forget where I was. His hands slid up to grip my shoulders and he bumped his chest towards me until I fell back. He came down with me, trapping me under him and then moved his lips to nip at my neck. I let out an instinctive and blissful sounding mumble and curled up my toes. It was heavenly.

 _Wait –_

Suddenly remembering we were _supposed_ to be talking, I clamped my hand firmly over his lips. It stopped him as he was dipping his head towards my jawline and to show my displeasure I frowned up into his eyes,

"Hold it mister. _Hmmm_ nice try, but sadly for you I'm too smart for that. No more stalling, alright? I need you to talk to me. What happened after you left me with Kane?"

He let out a sigh and reluctantly clambered off me, clearly annoyed that I'd seen through his ruse. Reaching over, I quickly grabbed his hand back and then turned it over to rub my fingers across his palm. It was something my mom had done when I was little and crying fit to burst and it had always calmed me down. I had no idea if it would work on a full-grown wrestler, but Dean let me do it so if nothing else it wasn't bad.

"What the fuck do you wanna hear Lauren? How they put Seth through the announce table anyway? Or maybe you wanna hear about the three of 'em beatin' Roman down?"

I gaped at him,

"What? Oh my god. Were they alright?"

"Nope, they're pissed."

"At you?" I asked carefully and he snorted like it was obvious and then turned his head away and dropped it down against his chest. Instantly I snuggled in a little closer, squeezing his hand and stroking my fingers across his nape. As I hit on a sore spot his face screwed up in agony and he shuddered a little and let out a grunt,

" _Fuck_ – ,"

I responded by swiftly shuffling behind him and clumsily rocking up onto my knees. I bumped into his lower back and drew another grumble but ignored it as I began to work deep circles with my thumbs. His entire upper back and shoulders were rigid with tension but as I began to knead, they gradually loosened up. Dean's stiff posture slumped just a little and he leant back against me and let his head drop back. Sensing my moment, I pushed him for more details, trying to sound nonchalant although it clearly didn't work,

"So – um – what did Seth and Roman say to you?"

He groaned just a little,

"Lauren – ,"

"You said you'd tell me."

As my thumbs hit a knot buried deep in his neckline, his whole body twitched and he let out a hiss. Working it out however clearly triggered something, because instead of clamming up he finally gave me more,

"They're pissed that I left them there outnumbered."

"But you didn't – you went after Bray."

"Who got right up and went back to his team."

I paused in realization,

"Oh."

"Fuck it," Dean sighed, "Whatever, they're right. I _did_ leave them out there – ,"

"I'm sorry,"

"What for?"

I shrugged a little, still working on his shoulders but biting my lip guiltily,

"You left them because of me."

"No I didn't Lauren," Dean replied flatly, "I mean alright – sure – that's why I went off but _you_ didn't make me throw Wyatt across the barricade, or fight him through the crowd _or_ brawl backstage. That's on me, alright? I shouldn't have done that. It's just – I don't know – whenever I see him I can't fuckin' help it, I get so mad. I think back to all that shit that happened last year and I remember him grabbing you and touching you and _hurting_ you and I can't – I just can't – ,"

He broke off with a growl.

Stopping the massage, I flung my arms around him and dropped my lips against his shoulder,

"Hey, it's okay – it's okay, I know."

" _That's_ why the guys are pissed with me Lauren, because I reacted and put _that_ crap before them."

For a minute we sat on the bed in total silence, with me still hugging him tightly from behind. It was strange to have Dean in any other mood than confident and I only hoped I was as much help as he usually was to me.

"I love you," I whispered, not wanting to break the silence but hoping that the words would help. He reached up and cupped my face,

"Yeah? Well thank fuck _somebody_ does."

"Don't forget Boomer."

"Princess, that dog loves fuckin' everyone. He greeted the damn _veterinarian_ like they'd served together in 'Nam."

"Still counts," I responded firmly, dropping my lips down onto his bare shoulder and lightly nipping at the shower-sweetened skin, "Seth and Roman love you too."

Dean groaned,

"Lauren – ,"

"What? They do. I mean, _okay_ so maybe they're not particularly happy with you right now but that doesn't change things. You're their _brother_."

"Maybe I was."

"No," I shook my head resolutely, "No, I don't buy that Dean – you still _are_. I mean, come on, I've seen the three of you together. You just kind of _click_. You make each other work. This is a tiny little bump in the road, alright? Just go and apologize and everything will be fine."

Dean snorted wryly,

"Yeah, that's the problem. I don't do apologies Princess, never have."

"What? That's ridiculous. Not even if it would help things? Not even to smooth things over with your very best friends? Okay, what if someone was holding me hostage – no, even better – holding me over _train tracks_ and the only way you could possibly save me was to apologize for something?"

Dean snorted,

"Then you'd better get ready to say goodbye baby because that train ain't stoppin' for nothin'."

" _Dean –_ ,"

"What?"

"I don't believe you. You'd let me get run over?"

He gazed back at me with his lips quirking mildly, clearly amused by the fact that I was hurt. Sitting away from him I folded my arms childishly and stuck my bottom lip out in a full-on girly pout. The sight made him smile and he reached out between us and pushed my lip back a little with his thumb.

"Princess, it's just a fuckin' _made up_ scenario, are you seriously tellin' me you're steamed about it?"

" _Yes_."

" _Fine_ ," he sighed heavily, grabbing my wrist up and physically dragging me in across the bed. I pretended to protest it but it wasn't too violent and in less than a second I was curled up against his chest, with my legs tucked up until I was surrounded by him ball-like and he dropped his head down and gave me a kiss, "If anybody ever ties you to the train tracks, or locks you in a tower or fuckin' _anythin'_ like that, I promise that I will not _only_ come get you but I'll apologize to whichever sorry son of a bitch they want. _Then_ I'll break their legs. There, are you happy now?"

I nodded,

"Uh huh, but you still need to make up with Roman and Seth."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean sighed before tilting my head back by flattened his broad palm over my hair. Once I was looking up at him he kissed me again fiercely and then inhaled while our lips were tightly locked. It _literally_ took the breath right out of me and was oddly arousing. Instantly I swung round, clambering to my knees so that I was towering over him and cupping his face to rub his stubble beneath my thumbs.

 _God_ he was adorable and –

 _Damn it._

So sneaky.

" _Hmm_ , you're trying to distract me again aren't you?"

"Got a problem with that Princess?"

"I mean, I probably _should_. I don't want our relationship to become one of those empty ones which ends up being all about sex."

I was grinning as I said it and Dean smirked back at me, raising his eyebrow in a way that meant _uh oh._ Before I could even warn him against moving, he swept his arm in under my kneecaps and scooped me up against his chest. Evidently the height difference wasn't quite to his liking and I squealed as he swung me round and dropped me down onto the bed. In less than a second he was hovering above me and treating me to another deep, lip-tingling kiss.

" _End up_? I thought it already was."

"Hey – ," I responded, swatting him mildly but my smile offset the outrage I was trying to affect.

"What? You really wanna do all that _normal couple_ bullshit? Talk about how our day went and stuff? Alright. Hey honey, how was work today? You know, when you sat on commentary in front of millions of people and described your boyfriend beating three guys up."

I rolled my eyes as he smirked down smugly and refused to look at him,

"Alright, I get the point. But for your information I didn't describe anything, I just sort of _reacted_ and bickered with Michael Cole. Honestly? I don't think it's really my calling. I'd be pretty surprised if they wanted me to do more."

"Good," Dean snorted, pushing himself off me and rolling to prop himself up on one side. His hand stayed lingering over my stomach, burning warmth right into me and making me feel loved, "Because unless you're in our corner where I can keep a fuckin' eye on you, I don't want you out there ever again."

His reaction wasn't completely surprising.

In fact it was the literal _opposite_ of that.

My short tenure on commentary had been a disaster and although that was Bray Wyatt's fault, I could tell he blamed himself. Whenever I got myself into any kind of predicament, Dean had a way of shouldering the guilt. His need to protect me was cute but heavy and in order to lift the mood, I suddenly grinned,

"So much for JBL _looking after me with his life_ , huh? I've never seen a person take off headphones that slow. It was almost like they were glued to his ears. Guess you were right about him after all."

Instead of drawing a chuckle however – which was what I'd been counting on – Dean merely glared,

"That son of a bitch better keep his fuckin' head down, because if I see him, I swear to _god_ that's it. He sat and watched Wyatt drag you outta there and he did _nothin'_ to stop it. That's not okay. _Fuck_. When I _think_ about it – hearin' you yellin' and lookin' up from the floor to see Wyatt with his hands on you, draggin' you towards the table – ,"

"Hey, I'm okay," I whispered into the half-light and he reached out and slid me closer with a grunt,

"I promised you I wouldn't let him touch you again Lauren and tonight he fuckin' did."

"Wait, are you – ," I smiled at him lightly, quirking my brows a little, "Are you _apologizing_ right now? Because a minute ago you were saying you didn't do that but this _kind of_ sounds like – ,"

Groaning roughly Dean bent across and kissed me, partly through what I assumed was a need to reassure himself but probably mostly to shut me up. Thankfully it seemed to work on both counts and when he finally drew back, it was accompanied by a sigh. Not a weary or wounded one either, but something more settled and contented.

That was good.

"I'm glad you're okay," he murmured into my neckline and I curled my hands through his hair.

"I'm fine."

The entire night had been pretty crazy but lying there with Dean made it all seem worthwhile. It was amazing how much better he could instantly make things and in the security of his arms I could totally relax. It was so unfair how the outside world saw him – that he was branded a lunatic and a million things between. Anyone that saw Dean so loving and tender would never have believed how he was in the ring and part of me wished that I could pick it up and show them and _prove_ to the naysayers that he really _was_ the perfect man.

The thought launched a hot surge of fierceness straight through me and I snorted in anger,

"You know what? Michael Cole's a dick."

"Okay, where the fuck did _that_ come from Princess?" Dean blinked back after missing a beat, "Did he say somethin' when you were doin' commentary? Do I gotta add him to the list of asses to kick?"

Realizing that telling him why I was angry meant also telling him what Cole had said, I panicked a little and quickly tried to backtrack, which – as usual – went off with barely a hitch,

"What? Uh, _no_. I mean, not unless you want to, which you probably don't because – um – it's no big deal. That is, he didn't – you know – _insult_ me or anything like that so it's really not important. Forget I mentioned it, okay?"

For several seconds, Dean merely stared at me, trying to decipher what had gone on. I lay gazing up at him, trying to look innocent but also safe in the knowledge that he would never work it out. I had gabbled so much it could have been _anything_ , so unless he was a mind-reader –

"Let me make a wild guess here. He talked shit about me, am I right?"

 _What the –_

How in the name of all things good and holy had he managed to work _that_ out?

"What? I – _no_ – ,"

"Princess," Dean sighed, "You're a terrible liar. But I appreciate you tryin' to protect me all the same. You don't have to though. This shit happens. He runs his damn mouth off every fuckin' night. So give it to me straight, alright? I'm sure I can handle it. What did that punk ass little runt say _this_ time?"

"He, um – ," I paused, "He called you a lunatic and _sort of_ said you deserved to be pinned."

Dean raised a brow,

"That's all he threw at me?"

"Isn't that enough?"

He shrugged,

"I've had worse – a _lot_ worse – trust me. My _mom_ has said shit to my _face_ worse than that."

"But that's just it," I sat up suddenly, his hand falling away from me as my anger built up. Dean watched it happen in measures of curiosity, having seen me upset before but never quite so mad, "I'm done with people saying mean things about you and calling you a hothead and – ,"

"Who calls me a hothead?"

I stopped.

 _Oh crap._

"Um," I blinked unconvincingly back at him, adding a shrug like I thought it would help, " _People_?"

"What? You mean specific people?"

" _No_?"

It didn't help that I actually winced.

If ever I had wondered how I would have fared as a secret agent – a female James Bond type of kick-ass super spy – then it was simple _yes_ or _no_ questions with my boyfriend that made me realize I wouldn't have lasted a day.

"Princess," Dean frowned, "Your lyin's gettin' _worse_ here. _Who_ calls me a hot-head? Commentary or somebody else?"

I squirmed beneath his gaze and tried not to look at him, shaking my head,

"Dean, it isn't – I mean – ,"

"Okay," he nodded, like I'd actually answered and _damn_ his perceptiveness, "Somebody else. I'm gonna take a crazy stab here and say Randy just from the way the guy was leerin' at me. It took all of my strength not to put him through the drywall. It has to be him, right – no? How 'bout Kane?"

As my heart started pounding, I bit my lip down tightly and choked back a bubble of emotion,

"Dean please – ,"

The fact that I was getting actually borderline _teary_ seemed to give him the last hint and he blinked,

"Your old man."

It was almost like the climax of some suspense-ridden movie, where the lead detective had finally worked out who the killer was. The look on Dean's face certainly mirrored the same emotions – a mixture of annoyance, genuine hurt and surprise.

"Let me guess, he thinks that me being a hothead is gonna wind up somehow gettin' you hurt?"

"How do you keeping _doing_ that? Are you secretly psychic? It kind of feels like you are."

I was going for humour but it fell pretty flat again, as he promptly ignored me and fixed me a look,

"What about you Princess? Do you believe him?"

"What?" I gaped in response, "Of course not."

He snorted back at me as if to say _okay, sure._

Suddenly – from out of nowhere – the black mood had wandered in again and laid itself across my boyfriend like a shroud. Dean's expression was sullen and troubled and it upset me that the comments had made him suddenly doubt himself. Moving quickly, I pushed him back over until he was out lying flat on his back, then I straddled him before he could bark at me and pinned his arms on either side of his head. It was a light touch – very light, I could never have made him stay there – but it surprised him enough that he didn't try to shift. Peering down into his blue eyes I kissed him and then whispered my assurance over his lips,

"I never have and never _will_ think any of those things about you. How _could_ I after all the amazing things you've done? You are – without a doubt – the most important thing about me. You're supportive, you're generous, you're loving and you're sweet."

He blinked back at me, his features slowly softening and then smirked slightly,

"Only with you."

"What about Seth and Roman?" I reminded him gently, but he shook his head emphatically,

"Princess, only you."

Then – as expected – he suddenly flipped me and brought me crashing down with a squeal into his arms. I giggled in delight as he nuzzled against my neckline and then squirmed like a demon as he blew against my skin. I was still trying to breathe right when he started to kiss me, peppering light smooches up and down my cheeks like he was going for the record or trying to beat a timer or – possibly – had spent several long months at sea.

"I need you Princess," he whispered against my earlobe and I shuddered as his fingertips gently grazed my skin. He was starting to slowly unhook my shirt buttons and I let him lazily until the material slid off.

Ducking his head, he rubbed his nose across my bra-cups and the cold tip made them achingly stiff. By the time he eased them loose, my hands were on his body, running the still-damp skin beneath my palms.

" _Dean_ – ," I gasped, but I wasn't complaining. I was far too happy to want him to stop, my fingernails digging into his shoulders and my toes curling in on themselves, "Oh god – ,"

At the same time that Dean was working my nipples, he leant in and kissed me and I laughed around his lips – thrilled and giddy and just so happy that I could no longer keep the elation to myself.

"Somethin' funny Princess?" he growled against my jawline, but he was grinning too and it made me relax, "Think maybe _you_ could do a better job up here?"

I nodded and he sat back and quickly pulled me up, straddling him in a forwards bear hug so my chin was against his forehead and giving me the advantage as I tipped his head up. It was a move I accomplished by tugging his hair gently and he moaned against my tongue as I began to grind my hips. He responded by dropping his face into my chest again and sucking and swirling at each peak in turn. By the time he was ready I was almost _insensible_ and fell back willingly to let him ease in.

Maybe from the emotions, or the match-up or the all the drama, the contact was passionate but also tender as well and although I finished first, when Dean fell down on top of me he kissed me again and then fiercely wrapped me up,

"I meant what I said earlier," he murmured, sounding wearied and clearly being tugged by a strong urge to sleep. Turning towards him I let him cuddle into me, feeling hugely protective of my emotionally battered man, "Don't fuckin' leave me Lauren – couldn't take it."

I kissed him gently,

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

 **So, how did we like the role reversal here with Lauren being the one to take charge of the comforting?**

 **Next chapter, our big new villain going forward is going to emerge in all his evil glory! Though some of you might have already guessed. Or maybe I should say** _ **one**_ **of our new villains. The next story in this arc is going to have a whole bunch!**


	5. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

**Sorry** **I'm** **a little bit late today, this site is being silly again! Anyway, are we ready for our new dastardly villain to rise up (sort of) in this chapter? His involvement will increase in the next story as well, which isn't a good thing!**

 **Mandy, I honestly think Seth is more believable as a heel when I'm watching him, but I prefer writing him as one of the good guys! Kind of weird huh?! Still got to do the heel turn eventually, especially since that's where these stories are going *sobs repeatedly* why Seth, why?!**

 **Not-that-kinda-gurl, Aww, bless you! Have you read the other stories in this series? Things might seem a little bit crazy if not! Super flattered you think it's so good though. There's another Dean/Lauren coming straight on the back of this one, so I hope you stick around for that one as well!**

 **Minnie1015, I sort of see Dean as someone who, when he falls apart, falls apart pretty hard and needs putting back together again. Luckily Lauren is happy to lend a hand. I totally enjoy writing Shield Dean. I just see him swearing and grumbling at things like his original character did. It's fun!**

 **Skovko, But he doesn't want to apologise! He thinks it's beneath him. In other words he's a typical stubborn man! It's not going to be easy to make him do anything he doesn't want to. Still, we know Lauren well enough by now to know that she will find a way!**

 **AngelsDestiny22, Yeah, good old Vince popping up to throw everything to hell! So glad you're happy to see them back and even happier that you're here giving me lovely reviews again! If you like this story then i think you'll like their next one even more (coming soon after this one, really, really soon!)**

 **Labinnacslove, Kinda feels like old times when I'm posting these Lauren/Dean updates, even though 'old times' were less than a year ago! Hope you like this chapter, the boys are back here, plus Lauren gets into a bit of trouble...wait, that's exactly like old times!**

 **HannonsPen, Well I'm glad you still love them even after all of their adventures so far. Super excited to post their next one though, because its totally mad and it shakes up their little universe, so I can't wait to see what you all think of that! Yep, I'm teasing it shamelessly, can't help it!**

 **Now, how to make things right with the boys?**

* * *

 **Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word**

The next morning – fortunately – Dean was feeling brighter and was back to his bullish, _Ambrose-swaggering_ again. He didn't mention his emotional hiccup or his fears of me leaving and that was okay. I got that he wasn't a sharing kind of person and nor had he ever been.

It wasn't his thing.

Besides, whatever latent fears he had briefly given into seemed to have been worked out by the time the morning broke and although I didn't want a medal or anything, I was feeling pretty good on the _awesome girlfriend_ front. Fortunately for me, Dean seemed to agree with it and as a result was fairly low-key sweet. There was no grand gesture, no thank you or post-mortem but there were a bunch of features that weren't usually a thing. For starters he woke me up with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream which he'd got on his morning run, then he let me shower before him even though it meant me using all the towels and _finally_ he carried my bags without grumbling about the weight, or the color or the damn wheels. He still hadn't been in contact with his teammates – or, at least not that I was aware – so we drove ourselves to the arena without them.

It was quiet, too quiet.

I didn't like it very much.

Dean put the radio on and _Free Bird_ blared out. It was at once both soothing and oddly melancholic and to combat the emotions that I thought it might dredge up, I reached across and dropped a hand across his kneecap and then proceeded to sing along and act out the words, hamming it up and generally being an idiot in the hopes that I could maybe get him to laugh.

It had worked – well, sort of – he loosed a smile at me, then rolled his eyes and kind of snorted a little bit, but it was better than him sitting there looking all grumpy and so I took it as a win.

Girlfriend of the year.

As thanks for that – or maybe just in general – he was still touchy-feely when he dropped me off backstage, pressing me against the wall and then almost inhaling me in a long, deep, passionate and flush-inducing kiss. Unsurprisingly, it made the people around us stutter and I was still trying to focus on breathing and blinking when he finally pulled back from me,

"See you later."

"Uh huh."

"Princess, remember, if you see Wyatt – ,"

"I know," I nodded, repeating it faithfully, "I'll find you."

"You fuckin' better had," he growled in response to that, then dropped his head for one last kiss.

 _Wow._

Usually he liked to be dark and kind of brooding in front of the backstage crew and assorted production staff but our midnight heart-to-heart had obviously caused a rethink and I loved his newfound unrestrained side. On second thoughts though it was probably a public claiming thing, especially if Stephanie or Hunter were around. In reality I imagined I should have felt maybe offended but since it made me giddy, I honestly didn't care. In fact I watched him swagger from gorilla in a barely there day-dream I was so overwhelmed and only belatedly remembered I'd forgotten to say something as he disappeared completely, at which point –

 _Damn._

Sprinting off after him I skidded through the doorway and called out breathlessly,

"Oh and Dean? Apologize."

He rolled his eyes and sighed kind of heavily but he didn't say no and so I took that as a possibly. It certainly made me go back to work happily.

I may have even skipped.

Everything was fine.

Matty was waiting for me when I got back to gorilla and he grinned at my cheerful expression, brows raised. Since starting work for the company six months earlier, Matt and I had become good friends. In fact he was now my official workplace bestie and as a result there was little that the two of us didn't share.

"Dean seems kind of amorous this evening. Did you actually manage to make it out of bed before lunchtime? Or where you busy with certain _other_ things?"

"For your information," I replied, trying to sound casual, "We were up early – well – early _ish_. There may or may not have been some fumbling first thing but that was because he bought me a hot chocolate. Can't let that sort of thing go unrewarded."

Matty nodded slowly but said nothing, or nothing decipherable at least,

" _Mmhmm_."

"Well what about you _Mister Loved Up_?" I shot back, putting my hands on my hips for added effect, "Didn't you and Adriano celebrate last night? Your five month anniversary? I'm taking it you both stayed in to crochet new scarves?"

A grin flashed back at me,

"Oh we like using scarves."

"Okay, way too much information. How about we just forget I asked?"

Matt threw a wink at me and I giggled back happily, loving the fact that we were both coupled-up. Serial dater Matt and super-sweet Adriano had been together since I had forced them to talk and although at first it had gone kind of horribly, romance had blossomed against all odds. I still hadn't convinced Dean to go out double-dating but I was very slowly getting there.

Or at least I hoped I was.

I'd never been on an actual double date before. It had never really been my ex-boyfriend's thing. He had never liked playing nice with Kelly's assorted partners and so in the end it had always just been me – sitting in a restaurant as the proverbial third wheel as Kelly frenched some guy she'd usually only barely met. It was the reason I had known her husband was a winner, because he had actually talked to me instead of sucking my best friend's face.

"So?" Matt prompted, interrupting my musing, "Are you not going to tell me?"

I frowned,

"Tell you what?"

"Um, about last night? What the hell happened when you and Dean went off the radar? Stephanie was losing her mind in here. No one could figure out where you'd all gone off to and what with Bray Wyatt coming back on his lonesome – well – let's just say we were all a little scared."

"Oh," I intoned, hardly wanting to relive it, "Nothing happened, I mean, nothing too bad. Dean and Bray just fought backstage a bit. Luckily it ended when Dean knocked him out."

Matt's eyes bulged,

"He knocked out Bray Wyatt?"

"With a microphone," I nodded, before adding, "That's my man."

"So then why didn't he come back? Where did he get to? I mean, Rollins and Reigns took a pounding after that. Sometimes I don't know why the Spanish announcers bother, they should probably just break their desk before the show starts, save themselves the trouble of getting all organized and putting out their notes and their water and all that jazz."

He had a point but I couldn't really focus on it since he had also implied that Dean had walked out on his team,

"He was taking me somewhere safe," I blurted, making him a frown a little before tacking on, "Last night. That's why he didn't make it back in time to help them – he took me to Hunter in case Wyatt came for me."

Matt blinked back for a second, then nodded,

"Oh, okay, well that makes sense. Hope the other two aren't too sore about the whole thing – or sore in general, especially in Rollins' case. I don't think he moved for a good ten minutes. I was kind of surprised when he actually stood up."

"They're – ," I paused, "They'll make it up, they're brothers."

Although it kind of sounded like I was trying to convince myself.

Wherever Dean was I hoped he had appeased them – had explained what had happened and told them what they meant. I almost shut my eyes and prayed for the apology but my silent plea was broken by Stephanie striding in,

"Lauren," she gasped, crossing towards me and throwing her arms out. I braced for the hug. She came at me much like an Exocet missile and pulled me against her while blowing out a breath, "Oh my goodness sweetie, I'm so, so sorry. I tried to get security out there the second I saw. The moment Wyatt looked at you over that table, I was screaming at everyone – I just didn't move fast enough."

"It's fine Steph," I smiled, untangling myself discreetly, "Dean came through. He always does."

She paused for what amounted to a fraction of a second but I saw her expression flicker nevertheless. Evidently Hunter had told her what had happened when he had bad-mouthed my boyfriend and she was trying not to do the same.

"Yes he does," she settled for eventually, before squeezing my hand, "You feeling okay?"

"Yep, I'm good."

"How did you find being on commentary? I mean, apart from the whole Wyatt thing."

I blinked for a moment, considering my options and the number of different ways I could say _Michael Cole's a jerk_. Instead however, I merely shrugged a little and avoided direct eye contact,

"It was – okay."

"Dad was really pleased with how you did."

"He was?"

She nodded,

"He likes how you connect. You're a normal person Lauren and people seem to like that – we like that. Especially because we don't have a lot of that here. I don't know if you'd noticed?"

I shrugged, off-hand,

"It may have become apparent once or twice since I started, but you know, not in a major way."

It was nice that she and I had developed a good relationship and even better that we felt easy enough to joke about things. Despite all appearances – and how she acted – she actually was a pretty cool boss and provided she liked you, her company was pleasant. It felt special to be one of the people in her zone.

"So," she smiled, "That means you'll say yes then? If Dad wants you on commentary again?"

"Uh – ,"

 _Crap._

The one thing Dean didn't want – specifically didn't want – but just like before, how the hell did I say no? They were offering me something that was a lot of peoples' dream. I didn't want to seem rude and turn them down outright although because it was my stepmother however, I didn't even get to properly try. As usual she simply took my pause as self-loathing and reached across to squeeze my shoulder and gee me along,

"Don't worry Lauren, you'll be amazing at it – just like you were last night. Anyway, I doubt he'll actually ask. Hunter's made it clear he doesn't like that plan. I take it Dean wasn't best impressed either, so you've really got nothing to be concerned about."

Except for the fact that when it came to the McMahon crew, they weren't very good at sticking to their word. If she said not to worry or that something wouldn't happen, then probability alone said it more than likely would and swallowing down a gulp of god damn it I smiled instead and offered up a tiny nod. Fortunately however she didn't get the chance to measure it, because the show was close to starting and so she had to bustle off. The chair in the corner of gorilla was beckoning and so was another hectic Monday Night Raw.

"Talk later, okay sweetie?" she flung across her shoulder as a woman with headset chattered quickly in her ear, there was a clipboard in her hand which was already stained with marker pen and a million different arrows and highlighted text. It was always amazing to me how chaotic backstage was. It was frankly a miracle that anything got taped. I was happy to be a tiny cog in the machine though and so busied myself with Matty getting towels and assorted drinks.

The show had probably been on for an hour when Dean flashed up and I almost missed it when he did. In the end it was only a sharp dig from Matty that even clued me into it.

My heart leapt.

 _Yes_.

The Shield were standing in the darkness together and I was so pleased to see them that I didn't sense the strain. Besides, the three of them were usually moody and sort of pent up whenever they were on the screen and so the fact that they seemed rigid and sullen didn't make any difference.

At first.

Then they spoke, by which I mean Seth did and the moment I heard him, I groaned out loud.

"Walk me through this one more time – ,"

Roman was stood glowering over his shoulder and they were both of them huddled, unsmiling around Dean. For his part my boyfriend had his own face tipped downwards but it wasn't through emotion, it was actually through rage. He was swaying side to side, like staying still was too much pressure and he was itching at his shoulder over and over again.

"I've been repeatin' myself – ," he broke in angrily, as Seth raised his voice to finish,

"Where were you last night?"

"I've been _repeatin'_ myself – ," Dean tried a second time, "For twenty four hours, alright? An' I'm gettin' a lil' _sick_ – quite frankly – of you two gangin' up on me – ,"

Suddenly it was Seth's turn to interrupt, which he did with words that gave me hope,

"We're not ganging up on you – ,"

Predictably however, Dean threw it right back, with added venom, in his face.

"An' I'm gettin' a lil' _sick_ of explainin' myself, so if all of that's not good enough for you two, an' if you don't trust me then whatever – _whatever._ "

Seth blinked,

"That's not it," he looked lost, "That's not it."

But Dean was in no mood to take on his sentiments and simply swaggered straight past them.

"I'm outta here."

Both Roman and Seth watched him go in near silence and I gulped at the look on the Big Dog's face. It was equal parts conflicted, hurt and plain angry and I suddenly wondered if Dean needed to watch his back.

 _Shit._.

In the silence, Seth shook his head and blew a breath out wearily,

"I'm not sure if I believe him. I want to. What he said – what Lauren said – it makes a lot of sense, but so many times now it's just – over and over and – ,"

He didn't get to finish.

Bray Wyatt loomed up.

Not that I heard what any of them were saying. I honestly couldn't focus. My brain was abuzz. The safe and happy little family I had created – on the road with the guys – was falling apart and although that felt both sad and terrifying, I also knew that for Dean it was ultimately worse. Roman and Seth were the only guys he trusted and now it seemed that they couldn't trust him. Not for anything that he had done either, except for hating the man who had tried to hurt me.

Bray was winning.

How had the whole thing ended up so wrong?

"Lauren?" I heard Matt ask from beside me, before trying again with a firm little shake, "Lauren? Hey, that was kinda heavy. Are you okay babe?"

"I – um – I don't know."

From across the space my stepmother turned to stare at me and I hated that her expression seemed to say I told you so. It was a look that implied my boyfriend was a lunatic and I was better off without him.

It really didn't help.

"Maybe you should go find him," Matt whispered, "Just in case he tries to do something stupid."

I nodded numbly,

"Uh huh, good idea."

But no way could I turn on my heel and run out of there without making it look like something was wrong. Stephanie was still watching me – trying to pretend she wasn't – and the same went for the majority of the production crew too. I needed an excuse to get myself out of there and fortunately for me, the amazing Matt knew it too, brushing alongside me much like a ninja and pushing a can of Coke into my hand,

"Lauren sweetie," he barked out loudly, making sure that everyone within twenty feet could hear, "Big E wants one of these and a water. Could you take them to him? I'm a little busy here."

I blinked for a second in total bewilderment – I could have kissed him, I honestly could – but in the end I managed a semi-natural shoulder shrug and nodded my head back,

"Uh, yeah, of course."

He gave me a wink as I spun and strode away from him, trying not to burst into a desperate run. I managed to keep cool until I was safely out of eyeshot and then pulled my cell out and frantically dialled,

"Come on Dean, pick up, please pick up."

He didn't and instead it went directly to voicemail which made my poor little worried heart lurch. What if Dean had left the arena and driven off somewhere?

Oh god.

What if he'd gone home? Not just back to the hotel either but home to Las Vegas? What if he was done? The thought of my safe and secure world crumbling briefly blinded me to everything else and in the end I didn't notice the man walking towards me until he was virtually on top of me, at which point I jumped.

"Trouble in paradise I see."

"Go away Randy."

I was in no frame of mind to deal with his sass.

Sadly however and no thanks to his ego which was roughly the size of a planet as it was, the former champion decided to completely ignore my sentiments and instead he merely smirked and stepped in close,

"That's what happens when you date an attack dog – sooner or later, you wind up being bit. You know what you do when a dog turns on its family? You put it down Lauren, simple and quick."

I blinked at him in total bewilderment. What he was talking about?

"You – you want me to kill Dean?"

In response to my – I thought – rational question, Randy rolled his eyes and leaned up against the wall. He was dressed for the ring in his way too small black trunks and his proximity was instantly a nausea inducing thing and I tried not to wrinkle my nose in too much horror to maintain my air of professionalism.

"No Lauren," he sighed, much like I was stupid, "I'm saying your boyfriend is a danger to everyone. He's a liability to the company and your old man. Best for you if you cut the guy loose."

"What? No. Besides, he's twice the man you are – maybe that's why you hate him so much."

My passionate comeback seemed to make him angry and he suddenly turned towards me and put his other hand out. In an uncomfortable instant I was trapped in an arm-cage, his chest right in front of me and my back against the wall. Briefly I debated trying to beat him with the Cola can but I doubted that I would come out of that fight well.

"You don't want to make an enemy of me Lauren," he growled and a look shivered through him that I definitely didn't like. I honestly wasn't sure I even knew what was happening. I mean, we'd always hated each other sure but at what point had he decided he had the chops to rule my life? He might have been the company's former champion but that didn't mean the first damn thing to me.

"I don't want to make an enemy of anyone," I replied, deciding that politeness was the way to defuse things, since I was unlikely to be able to physically push him off if it actually got that far, "I'm very happy with what I've got right now, so – um – if you could maybe just let me go – ,"

Randy eyes glinted,

"Maybe you should make me."

Luckily however, it didn't come to that because in the fringes of my periphery, two figures turned the corner and I could feel their hackles rising as they took in the scene. Sensing my attentions shift, Randy glanced back also and on seeing Seth and Roman, he quickly straightened up. He didn't seem nervous – I highly doubted he ever did – but he was certainly wary and that was enough. Taking the chance, I scuttled off towards them and Roman's eyes softened a little,

"Baby Girl? You alright?"

"Uh huh," I nodded but clearly I didn't look it as my shaky little head nod made Seth ball his fists.

"Is there a problem here Orton?"

He smirked,

"No problem, just having a little chat with the boss' long-lost kid. Someone needs to look out for her welfare, what with that unpredictable boyfriend she's got – ,"

The statement made Roman physically step forward and I was relieved that his instinct was to still defend Dean. Seth meanwhile glared back across the distance, his voice a sneer,

"Someone like you?"

"Maybe," Randy shrugged and Seth balled his fists again,

"Well thanks Randy, but no thanks, The Shield's got her back."

It was a pretty weighty and gratifying sentiment but it didn't seem to have the desired effect. Instead of quaking or looking remotely sober, Randy merely chuckled and pityingly shook his head.

"Fine," he grinned, backing up a step and then turning to swagger off, his oiled back glinting in the overhead lights, "Have it your way."

"Don't worry, we will."

We stood in silence until he had sauntered off completely at which point Seth relaxed and blew out a breath. Roman remained standing stiff like a sentinel and I glanced up at him – both of them,

"I'm glad you guys are here."

"Yeah," Seth grunted, "What the hell _was_ that?"

I shook my head,

"I don't know, he's just a dick."

"A dick who likes to pin you against the wall Lauren. That's not good, you need to find – ,"

He stopped and stumbled slightly.

 _Dean._

"I know," I nodded, saving him from saying it, "That's who I'm looking for. Where did he go?"

"You tell us Baby Girl," Roman sighed heavily, "Haven't seen his ass since he up and stormed out."

There was a touch of harshness in his eyes as he said it, like he was hurt or confused or kind of pissed or all three. It made me instantly want to try my best to fix things and although I probably shouldn't have, I simply couldn't stop.

"It's not his fault – I promise – it's mine. Dean was just trying to save me from Bray. He left because he was taking me to Hunter. But he was desperate to get back to you. I promise he was. I mean, you guys should have seen him last night. He thought he'd lost you – ,"

"So what about tonight?"

It was Seth who asked and he sounded offended, which was probably to be expected given what had gone on. In many ways it felt like being back at school again and trying to play the advocate when Kelly had an argument with our other friends.

"You didn't believe him."

"It's not that," Seth sighed, "It's just – it kind of hurt, you know? I mean, I got put through a god damn table. I needed him out there."

"But I needed him too."

 _That_ shut him up and he paused and sort of blinked at me before realizing that I was probably right. We were basically asking Dean to choose between us and although that wasn't being done directly, in a quiet and unspoken sentence it very much was. Who did Dean fight for when faced with the enemy? His wrestling brothers or his trouble-prone girl?

Seth let out a groan,

"Does this mean we have to apologize?"

I shrugged,

"Well he won't so – I mean – I think somebody should."

"You know where he is?" Roman grumbled deeply, clearly hoping I had the inside line. I shook my head and both of them slumped a little, which was actually kind of cute.

They were worried about him.

"No, but I can find him."

"Be careful Lauren, Orton's still out there along with the rest of the Wyatt family too."

I nodded at Roman, trying hard to sound nonchalant,

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, you just focus on you."

I meant what I said, I was determined to find him but as it turned out that was easier said than done. Seemingly, since he had kissed me in gorilla, my boyfriend had morphed into some sort of ninja and although a brooding wrestler should have been obvious, Dean didn't crop up anywhere I looked. It also didn't help that his phone was still switched off, which forced me to look in just about every room. I even went outside and checked on our rental, which was thankfully still there but sadly void of Dean.

Where had he gone?

At a loss as to what else I could possibly do to find him, I headed back to gorilla, arriving midway through Roman's match. As I had expected – as he had promised – the Big Dog was certainly holding his own and as I slid alongside Matt and shook my head despondently, it was oddly reassuring to see Roman holding court.

"Couldn't find him?" Matty whispered, watching my shoulders droop and slinging an arm around my waist,

"I don't know where he is. Do you think – ," I paused for a second, "Do you think he's left me?"

"He's just blowing off steam. Honey, he's crazy about you."

It was strange not to see Seth – or Dean – out at ringside and although in the latter case his absence was obvious, Seth not being there was more than a little odd. Through trial and error and a million other false starts, The Shield had learnt not to trust the Wyatt clan. If Bray was in for a one-on-one match up, then it was only a matter of time before it they were outnumbered and his weird and erstwhile followers showed up.

It was a fact which was proven not five minutes later as Rowan and Harper predictably lumbered in, cutting the area lights and then making the distraction as Roman was readying the Superman Punch. How they had got there was something of a mystery as they certainly hadn't walked past us backstage, but the second he saw them, Seth also appeared ringside and hit a dive across the ropes.

"Oooh," Matt chirped, bouncing up and down a little and clapping his hands like sea lion with a ball, "Things are really hotting up in this one."

Which wasn't a good thing, not even by a long shot because while Seth had executed the flying manoeuvre beautifully, his relatively small frame didn't keep them down for long and as Bray speared Roman into the ring post, Harper and Rowan clambered back up. They grabbed Seth one on either side for a body slam and I gasped in horror,

"Oh god, oh no – ."

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to watch it.

Which meant that I almost missed the sudden black blur.

It flew through gorilla at a million miles an hour and caught almost everyone in total surprise. In fact it moved so fast that most people missed it and those that saw couldn't work out who it was.

I knew though.

I knew instantly and my heart lit up like a firework show.

Dean had come to save his brothers and while it wasn't a spoken apology it was physically everything that my boyfriend couldn't say.

"Is that – ?" Matt stuttered as Dean tore through the curtains and I nodded with a grin,

"It certainly is."

Switching our eyes back down to the monitor, we watched as Dean crashed into the fray, literally launching at Dumb and Even Dumber and taking the whole damn lot of them down. He was virtually possessed he was so pent-up angry and he pummelled at Harper like he was trying to knead bread. As the threat moved up to the top of the apron, Dean slid determinedly under the ropes, piling into Wyatt without even standing and – as a by-product – triggering the bell.

"Hey, hey – ," the referee yelled pointlessly, as all six men ended up in the ring. It was a proper, full-on wrestling squabble but it ended up with The Shield standing tall. As the music kicked in they stood staring outwards, letting the Wyatt family know who had the win. Maybe not in terms of the actual match-up, but in terms of real victory, they held the upper hand.

"Looks like the boys are okay after all then?" Matty whispered quietly and I offered up a grin. The mood in the ring was still sort of unsettled but it was better, they were together and they had each other's backs. In an instant the tension rose clean off my shoulders and I let out a sigh,

"Yep, looks like it does."

* * *

 **Okay, so the next chapter is the last one in this particular little story, but I'm going to carry straight on into the next one which this has pretty much already set up. The next one is the real deal too. Lots going on and twists and turns galore!**

 **But first, we need to get those Shield boys back on the same darn page, am I right?!**


	6. Mending Fences

**Right then, final chapter for this story, next one starting next week, see the bottom of this chapter for details. Also, thank you so much for staying with this couple, I love them to bits so it means a lot, especially since I'm going through a bit of rough time at the moment, so your lovely reviews make me smile!**

 **Sodapop25, Glad you make it all the way to end with me on this one and thank you for your reviews helping to push my numbers up, 'preciate you stopping by every time. Until the next one!**

 **Wolfgirl2013, Hi, glad you're enjoying it, hopefully you'll stick around and tune into their next story which I'm putting up starting from next week. But as for right now, I hope you are ready for our lovely little Shield boys to be all good and brotherly again? I know I am!**

 **HannonsPen, I couldn't possibly write the guys without giving them some sort of attempt at complexity and depth, or at least I** _ **hope**_ **I couldn't! See you at Lauren and Dean's next story? More character traits revealed in others in that one too *Crosses fingers and toes hopefully***

 **Mandy, It's good news for me that you'll take Seth however he's written, because I have certainly written him in a whole bunch of ways across my stories! But yeah, like writing antsy and princessy good Seth most though, so that is largely what you're going to get!**

 **xXBalorBabeXx, Oh alright, your wish is my command, you know I couldn't end this one with the boys all angry and pissy at each other, I love their little gang far too much for that. But there's still a bit of air to clear away first though, kinda like group therapy. Read on to find out how it goes!**

 **Skovko, I know right? If I was a Spanish announcer at a PPV I would just push my chair back and be done with the thing, there is no point in getting too attached! Funny you mention Seth's betrayal as a Lauren/Dean story focus, because you'll never guess what I'm currently writing now…**

 **Minnie1015, Aww, well I'm always happy to make people smile, even if I can't see it happening as such! Happy to share these things are long as you'll have me and right up to the point that my poor muse runs out or collapses in a heap. There's life left in her yet though!**

 **Labinnacslove, Randy is just such a brilliant creep isn't he? Randy in heel mode genuinely makes my skin crawl so I couldn't not have him as the bad guy going forward! Yeah, silly Dean not just going to say sorry, but hopefully they'll clear the air a little bit here!**

 **Morrowsong, Aww, thank you! I'm super glad these two have grabbed you. Still more stories for them to come, so hopefully you'll be intrigued enough to stick around for those too. Next one starts next Monday!**

 **Time to put these boys back together!**

* * *

 **Mending Fences**

At my suggestion – okay, insistence – after the show, we all went out to eat. It was late by the time the taping got finished and so the only thing open was a little diner by the road. It was kind of run-down and not so appealing which was broadly in line with the shifty clientele, but the menu offered a vast array of choices and the food was cheap and warm so I couldn't complain.

Much.

Released from the worry, my appetite was calling me and so I ordered a milkshake, a swiss omelette and a side of fries. The guys – who had been decidedly less greedy – grinned in amusement as my order came out and as the waitress placed the platter in front of me, I realized I had chosen a little too much.

"Oh," I blinked and Dean rolled his eyes at me, before reaching across and helping trim down my fries. Seth and Roman piled in after him and I couldn't deny the familiarity was nice. Actually it was _better_ than nice, it was great and made me realize how important the boys had become in the new little world I had built for myself. It was a fact that Seth seemed to warily clue in to as he caught me grinning at him from over my plate,

"What? Did get I something on my face? I've got food on my face right?"

I giggled at him,

" _No_."

"So then why are you staring?"

"You know," I shrugged, "Just thinking that I'd _kind of_ missed your ugly face – yours too Roman, only yours isn't ugly, it's chiselled and dashing."

He winked at me,

"Damn straight."

"Hey," Seth frowned, hamming up the younger brother act despite the fact that he was actually marginally older than me. I guess it was something I had picked up from Dean, you know, alongside my general sexual awakening, "First of all, this face is better than _his_ face any day of the week and _secondly_ , it's only been twenty four hours and we've seen you since then – a whole bunch of times."

"I know, but that was different, we just _saw_ each other, we weren't _together_ together."

Dean snorted,

"I fuckin' _hope_ you weren't."

"Not like that – _ugh_ – sometimes you have such a dirty mind."

Reaching out a hand, Dean pulled me in against his side, towing me across the cheap leather-effect plastic by the belt loops of my jeans. Once I was close enough he dropped an arm around my neck and ducked his head to kiss beneath my jaw,

"I thought you were the dirty one in this relationship,"

" _Dean_ – ," I squeaked with a flush of embarrassment as Seth groaned loudly,

"Well I didn't miss _this_."

"Yes you did," I retorted quickly, throwing a fry at him, "It's not nice to lie."

"Children," Roman intoned in his _dad-voice_ , as women around the world went weak-kneed and also just as Seth was levelling to throw the missile back in my direction. Given his aptitude for sports it probably would have taken my eye out, "Behave."

I nodded and held up three solemn fingers,

"Scouts honour."

"Who's lying now?" Seth sniggered to which I pointedly stuck out my tongue, "Very mature."

Dean quickly pinched it between his fingers and I made a little grunt of surprise and whipped it back again before grinning at his smile. Honestly, the whole thing felt so easy that I think I was _possibly_ drunk on happy vibes. I mean, they hadn't actually discussed what had happened – nor was I sure if they actually would – but at the very least the dynamic was back in place and as a start, I thought that was pretty good. There was nothing, _nothing_ that could bring me back down again, except maybe _one_ thing.

"So, did you tell Dean?"

It was Roman who had asked from beneath a seriously drawn brow line, which implied he meant business. Dean frowned back at him,

"Tell me what?"

Given that I was as in the dark as he was, I stayed quiet and merely offered up a shrug.

"About what happened earlier," Roman pressed, "In the corridor."

Then – suddenly – I was all caught up.

 _Damn_.

He meant Randy.

Dean would hit the roof.

"Oh."

" _Oh_?" Dean echoed, sensing something serious and not liking being the only one not in the know. I could feel him tensing from where I was tucked in beneath his shoulder and I stifled a groan at the sudden shift in mood. I knew it had been going far too well, I should have guessed it wouldn't last, "Lauren, _what happened_?"

"Um, nothing?"

"Didn't we get done talkin' about what a bad liar you were already?"

"Did we?"

From across the table Roman heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes, clearly deciding to cut to the chase and put his brother out of his sudden misery. I shot him what I considered to be my very best death glare, alongside lashings of _don't you dare_ but unfortunately none of it seemed to affect him because he upped and said it anyway,

"Randy cornered her backstage earlier."

 _Noooo._

" _What_?" Dean barked sharply, predictably reacting with a mixture of both anger and baffled alarm, "What do you mean _cornered_?"

"As in backing her up against the wall with his hand on either side of her," Seth finished off and I turned my frosty gaze in direction too. God damn them and their incessant need to tell each other everything, maybe it was better when they were feuding after all.

"That son of a bitch," Dean hissed darkly, curling his fists in tight against the table. In response I ducked down against him a little further and bit my bottom lip in a strange form of shame. Once again I had managed to ruin what had otherwise been a perfectly good time. What _was_ it with me and my ability to find trouble? Was it a special frequency I worked on or did I give out some sort of vibe? Luckily, sensing that I was feeling a little guilty, Dean bumped me gently with his shoulder, "Hey, you okay? Did he touch you – _hurt_ you?"

I shook my head,

"No."

"He was saying something though," Seth added casually, snagging up another loose handful of fries. Were we really not done with this conversation yet? I pulled back the basket of potato goodness childishly, figuring he didn't deserve them anymore.

"Saying something _what_?" Dean pressed firmly, lifting my head with his thumb, "What did he say?"

"Um, just sort of random _stuff_ I guess."

"Like what Lauren?"

"I – uh – ,"

What was I meant to say? It wouldn't have been easy to tell him at the best of times that Randy had been implying he couldn't keep me safe, but so soon on the back of everything that had happened it was virtually disastrous. Roman let out a sigh,

"He was running his mouth off about you dude – talking shit like he always does."

"Shit that has to do with my girlfriend?"

Despite myself I shivered.

 _Loved_ when he used that word.

"Said someone needed to look out for her," Seth snorted wryly, reaching across. I was so caught up in the unfolding conversation that I reacted too slowly and he snatched another fry.

 _Darn._

"Someone like him?"

"That's about the size of it," Roman grumbled in gruff confirmation and although Dean sucked a frustrated breath in, he managed to stay sort of reasonably calm.

"I'm startin' to get a little _sick_ of that asshole everywhere I fuckin' look. I mean, it's bad enough he's always hangin' off Hunter but now he's tryin'a mess with my girl? Someone needs to put their foot up his backside and the way it's lookin', that's gonna be me."

"He isn't – ," I paused, trying to dissipate the anger but not sure how, "He's not _messing_ with me. I mean, he just kind of likes to get under my skin a little. I think he feels like he has to compete. I'm Hunter's daughter and he's Hunter's golden boy. We're kind of like siblings that don't get along. Nothing I can't handle though, really. It's fine Dean, you don't need to worry."

He disagreed,

"Princess, he had you backed against a wall – ,"

"I know, I was – um – well, I was _handling_ it."

"Oh yeah, sure."

"Actually," Roman interjected suddenly, "It looked like she was holding her own. Our little Lauren's got some attitude. She wasn't about to let Orton get the best of her. She was toe to toe with him."

Dean quirked a brow,

"Yeah?"

" _Kinda_ ," I shrugged back, suddenly feeling bashful about my new-found and only briefly held balls, "I mean, I'm not always _totally_ hopeless. Besides, girl's got to stand up for her man sometimes too."

"Yes she fuckin' does and don't you forget it."

But despite the vehemence of the short little sentiment, Dean ducked down and gave me a kiss, planting it right between my ear and my cheekbone and tickling my skin with his still vaguely-wet hair. It made me giggle and I batted him off again, making Seth sigh,

"Yep, _definitely_ not missed this."

"Oh shush," I scolded, raising a finger, "Don't make me throw another fry at you."

"Try it, you'd miss."

As my mouth dropped open in lashings of faux-outrage and Seth grinned in at me smirking like a champ, Roman sighed deeply – ignoring our chatter – and looked towards Dean like something needed to be said.

Here it was then.

The elephant in the room.

"So," he started, "You all good now?"

Immediately Seth and I shut up, sitting in silence as the mood grew tense again and waiting for Dean to say something – anything. For his part, Dean's fingers started tapping my shoulder, drumming out a rhythm across my clavicle. I doubted he even knew he was doing it – it was simply a tick as his unease grew. I wondered for a minute if he was angry or resentful and then figured that maybe he was building up his nerve. If he was going to apologize then it was going to take some effort and so reaching across, I grabbed up his other hand, pulling it back down under the table and stroking my thumb across the post-tape marks. It briefly drew him out of his stupor and he glanced across at me like he was waking from a dream. I smiled a little and he returned it – marginally – before turning back to face his teammate,

"Look man, I – ,"

"We're sorry," Seth put in suddenly, totally and utterly beating him to the punch. Dean stopped abruptly and quirked his head a little, watching as his brother shot him a shrug, "We're sorry we didn't believe you, earlier. _You're_ sorry for not being there at the end of the match. That the situation here?"

He glanced around and the three of us stared back at him with Dean being the one to reply,

"Pretty much,"

"Then I say we forget it, alright? Pretend that none of that stuff went down. We've _all_ been acting kinda crazy lately but we need to focus on what's important, alright?"

Roman snorted sort of unhappily and I shot a worried glance his way. Seth was bending over backwards to fix things but their older brother didn't seem as appeased. Clearly the fact they'd been beaten sat badly and it seemed – on that front – he still blamed Dean.

"Some of us been acting more crazy than others – ,"

His mutter was easily loud enough to carry and as the words settled in across the table, the tension instantly ramped back up again. I shut my eyes in disappointment,

 _Damn_.

"It's called havin' a little fuckin' _passion_ Roman," Dean fired back in sarcastic sounding tones, "Might wanna think about tryin' it sometime."

"Not if it leaves my _brothers_ outnumbered."

"Maybe that's your problem."

"Maybe it's yours."

As things looked set to take another down-turn, something in me promptly snapped and I slammed down my milkshake like an impromptu gavel, ignoring the following spray of pink foam,

" _Stop it_ ," I near enough bellowed at them, making several other patrons turn their heads in shock, "Just _stop_. What the hell is _wrong_ with you two? I can't take this anymore, okay? I just _can't_. This is stupid, everything is stupid – _you're_ stupid. Both of you are."

For the split second after my missive had ended, no one moved and nobody spoke. Then, without warning, Roman started chuckling, the sound deep and low but undoubtedly amused. I felt my cheeks start to heat up on instinct and I balled my fists a little,

"It isn't funny you know."

Sadly however, my warning didn't help things and from behind me I could feel Dean's chest start to jerk too. When I glanced up, he was actually grinning, although it tempered just a little at the look I flashed back. Shaking his head in what look like weary fondness, he tapped my nose gently,

"Fuck it you're cute."

"No I'm not," I glowered, "I'm angry. I don't get why you're laughing at me."

Although in hindsight I supposed it was a good thing they were laughing. Evidently my failed attempt at sounding ferocious was the one thing they could agree on.

"We're sorry Baby Girl, we'll stop, I promise."

I narrowed my eyes at him, not really believing it and his smile grew wider.

 _Oh yeah, right._

"So," Seth cut in, sensing a sort of truce forming and moving to solidify it, "Are we okay here? Because with all this bickering we've been doing, I think we're missing the bigger picture you know?"

Dean gazed back at him,

"Which is _what_ exactly?"

" _Somebody_ needs to teach the Wyatts a lesson and _that_ gentlemen, is going to be us. Tomorrow night, when those bastards aren't expecting it, I say we head on down to the ring, show them why the god damn Shield is the most dominant force the business has ever seen,"

It was a pretty passionate and rallying monologue that made even _me_ feel oddly pumped. Glancing across, I could see Roman's eyes blazing and from the way Dean's fists balled up against my side tightly, I guessed it had also had a similar effect. Evidently The Shield were back again and _god_ was I ridiculously happy about that.

"Think we can add Orton and Kane to the party?" Dean drawled lazily, "Take 'em all out?"

He was examining his nails like the idea was no biggie but from the tension in his tone, we all knew it was. Roman blinked across the table in suspicion, narrowing his eyes a little,

"Why? What did Kane ever do to you?"

"Guy's got no respect."

Seth snorted,

"Well, we knew _that_."

"Struttin' round the joint, actin' like he owns it," Dean itched his shoulder, "I've had it up to here."

He didn't move his hand, so we didn't know where _here_ was but based on his vehemence it was somewhere pretty high. Seth rolled his eyes a little and sat back heavily,

"He's the boss Dean,"

"No, _Hunter's_ the boss. Kane is just the washed up old wrestler that Hunter hired to look after his toys. Hunter signs the paychecks, okay? The Big Red _Nothin'_ doesn't do shit."

I blinked a little,

"Big red what?"

"Big Red _Machine_ ," Roman filled in for me, "Used to be his gimmick back in the day. He wore this mask which covered his face up because he'd apparently been pretty badly burned as a kid,"

"Oh, that's awful,"

"Didn't happen Princess," Dean shot back, "Just a fuckin' story he used to like to tell. Come on, you've seen his face enough times now. I mean, yeah, it's horrible but does it look scarred to you?"

I paused momentarily and thought about it,

"No."

"Welcome to the business," Dean smirked mockingly, "Where people are allowed to make shit up."

"Well in _that_ case," I teased him, snatching up my milkshake and taking a drag through the straw like a kid, "I'm going to make up something about _my_ life. I could say I'm an astronaut or a deep sea diver – _ooh_ – I know, a government spy."

My boyfriend smiled and threw his eyes skywards but then ducked in close,

"Don't change a damn thing. You're fuckin' perfect the way you are Princess – wouldn't have you any other way."

"How about less prone to finding trouble?"

Dean paused briefly,

"We could talk about that I guess."

With the food all eaten, the waitress cleared our plates away and I sat back against the faux-leather seating feeling happily but uncomfortably stuffed. It was possible that the guys were going to have to roll me out of there and as the post-meal shift in blood sugar caught up with me, I let out a sigh and slumped down to one side, bumping back up against Dean sleepily and feeling him anchor me against him with an arm.

" _Hmm_ , that's nice."

"You alright?"

"Just sleepy."

Thankfully the tension between them had ebbed again and in the semi-cessation of recent hostilities, the three of them began to chat. It was mostly about the Wyatts and what their plans were for them, but it was easy and familiar and I was grateful for that. I barely even registered my cell phone vibrating until Dean nudged me gently,

"Princess?"

"Huh? What?"

"Where's your phone?"

I frowned,

"Back pocket."

Dean's fingers grazed my ass cheeks and I giggled at him groggily which earnt a wry snort. Fortunately, given that we were in public and across from his brothers, Dean left it at that and plucked free my cell with minimal groping before pressing the call button and putting it up against his ear,

"Yeah?"

A tiny, tinny voice echoed back at him and I recognized it almost at once.

"Dean? Oh, I was expecting Lauren. Nothing's wrong, I'm just checking in for the nightly talk."

Scrambling upright and elbowing his stomach which produced a low grunt, I grabbed the phone from Dean's hand, suddenly feeling alert and excited as I took-over the conversation,

"Linda? It's Lauren here, where's my boy? Is he okay? Does he miss us?"

Seth and Roman stared back across the table and I could from their expressions that they were totally lost. They glanced towards Dean, who dropped his head stubbornly and in the oddly embarrassed silence they looked back at me.

"Ooh yes," Linda chirped back happily, unaware of the eyeballing her phone call had caused, "He has been a _very_ good boy. Haven't you hmm? Haven't you Boomer? Is that Mommy? Have I got Mommy on the phone?"

Even by my standards, the call was a crazy one but what can I say? I missed my dog on the road. Linda was a housesitter our neighbour had suggested and better still, she totally loved pets. It was she who had suggested phoning nightly so I could talk to him and although I had initially gone along with the suggestion to avoid hurting the feelings of a geriatric spinster, I had grown to look forward to them.

Yes, I was mad.

In private Dean tolerated it with no small amount of mumbling, but in front of his brothers it was more than he could bear. As a familiar sounding panting hit the phone line however, I forgot about my boyfriend and almost everyone else.

" _Boom-Boom_ ," I squeaked excitedly, "Hey baby. Who's a good boy? Have you been a good boy?"

From over the table Seth blinked in astonishment and glanced at his teammate,

"Is she talking to the _dog_?"

Dean waved his hand, unable to say it and I continued undaunted,

"Mommy misses you baby boy, we'll be home soon. So you be a good boy for Auntie Linda until we get back. Daddy misses you as well,"

I held the phone out and Dean paled visibly and quickly looked around. There was a rough looking truck driver type up by the counter and his two stablemates who were grinning fit to burst,

"Yeah," Seth snorted, "Say hello _Daddy_ ,"

Dean slumped down in his seat,

" _Jesus Christ_ – ,"

"Come on," I whined, "He'll be offended."

"No he fuckin' won't."

"Don't say that," I gasped,

"Lauren, I swear to _god_ – ,"

His gaze turned murderous and I rolled my eyes and reluctantly gave up,

"Alright, _sheesh_. It's okay baby, Daddy's being grumpy right now. But I'm sure he'll give you extra snuggles just as soon as we get home."

He probably would. Dean was _nuts_ about Boomer. Just apparently not in public as I had recently found out. By the time I hung up after speaking to Linda – which was mostly a courtesy, it was mainly about the dog – Dean had unwrapped his arm from around me and was moodily picking at the leftover fries. Seth's hand had still been buried inside them when the waitress had come round, so she'd left them where they were. Based on his frantic chomping he was angry, which wasn't much helped by Roman's wide smile,

"Fuckin' knock it off," Dean growled at him sharply.

"I didn't saying anything."

"You didn't have to man."

Letting out a sigh – which I assumed was to stop from laughing – Roman pulled loose a handful of change, the action triggering Seth and Dean also, although as usual the three of them refused to let me help.

"You can pay me later," Dean grumbled testily, "For dinner _and_ tryin'a make me talk to the dog."

He was still playing it cool when we stepped out of the diner and although the mood was warmer, the weather was not. As a chill wind rattled the fabric of my t-shirt, I shivered and Dean sighed and peeled his jacket off. The smell and heat of the leather was incredible and I shrank into it gladly as he draped it across my back. Clearly he wasn't _so_ irritated at me that he wanted me to freeze to death.

That was kind of nice.

Taking a chance I lifted his arm up and draped it around me before snuggling in. He snorted wryly but didn't struggle out of it and I grinned in triumph.

His bad mood was gone.

"Hey," Roman called as they stopped beside their rental, gesturing to it almost casually with the key, "Traveling with us?"

It was a pretty grand gesture of reconciliation and the final sign I needed that things were still good. Well, maybe not _good_ – there was still a hint of tension – but better than it had been and unlikely to get worse. Dean paused briefly, looking to our own car and then down at me.

I nodded.

 _Uh huh._

"Sure," he replied, "I'll call the rental company, get 'em to pick ours up from here."

Roman nodded back at him, remarkably business-like and it was strange to see the two men trying _not_ to show they cared,

"Alright, I'll give you a hand to move your stuff over."

As the pair of them trampled side by side across the parking lot, Seth and I watched them go with a smile. Between us we had managed to coral them back together and although it was tentative, things were going well.

"Does this mean I've gotta put up with your sorry ass again?"

"My ass is not sorry," I retorted, "Ask Dean."

Seth's face wrinkled and he looked in disgust at me,

"See this is what I _didn't_ miss."

"Lies _all_ lies."

From somewhere across the dark space there was a sudden thud, as one of the our cases fell out of the car. The boys were struggling with several bags between them and Dean looked up at us,

"You wanna come fuckin' help?"

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on," Seth yelled back at him, "Jeez, I've not missed _his_ ass too."

I let out a whistle,

"Ooh god, _I_ would. It's amazing and sexy and totally _squeezable_ and – ,"

"Okay stop."

As we turned together and headed towards them, I suddenly felt a flood of something like love. For my boyfriend and his teammates and the life I had built myself since everything had collapsed around me six months back. There I was in a dingy little parking lot, surrounded by wrestlers in the middle of the night. In many ways it was almost a recipe for disaster and yet I wouldn't have traded it for the world. It felt like kind of an important revelation and I caught Seth's sleeve,

"Hey?"

He looked at me,

"Yeah?"

A car slid by us on the road beside the diner, its headlights casting a glow against the ground. Seeing it, I suddenly began to grin wryly and quick as a flash I thumped him,

" _Yellow car_."

" _God damn it_ ," he yelled, but I was already away from him, giggling in triumph and pounding towards Dean, "Lauren, come _back_ here – ,"

His footsteps crunched behind me, but I reached my boyfriend and darted round behind his back. Dean rolled his eyes a little but still straightened up protectively and eyed Seth devilishly as his teammate ran in close,

"Whoa, whoa, what're you doin' to my girl here, huh?"

"She fucking hit me with that yellow car shit again – she's a pain in my ass."

"No she's not, she's adorable."

As Seth rolled his eyes and offered a rejoinder that sounded a lot like _control your girl_ , Dean snorted back in genuine amusement and threw me a wink. He looked totally relaxed. More than that, he looked totally _happy_ which was basically the only other thing I could want. It was an utterly fun and carefree moment, that was improved by Roman chuckling as well.

From a night of disaster to a night of contentment.

The worst was behind us.

It would be better now, right?

* * *

 **Yep, kind of ending on a bit of a cliffhanger so we can time jump a little for the next story and get right into the middle of a juicy storyline. Evolution vs. The Shield...tough times ahead for Lauren! Besides which this makes up for that crazy Shield summit nonsense and Seth walking on the Wyatt family match...thanks to Lauren that now** _ **doesn't happen**_ **simply because it should** _ **never**_ **have done (take that WWE Creative!)**

 **I'm going to start putting their new story up next Monday and it's going to be called** _ **No Place To Go**_ **. It's probably my absolute favourite (at the moment) so I hope you're all there to check it out!**


End file.
